The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 12:12-16, “On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel.”
14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,
15 “FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY’S COLT.”
16 These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.”

Have you ever thought about how much like the disciples we are? Jesus is coming, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, but the disciples –His disciples!—did not understand. Are we not like that? Almost daily, we are confronted with the prophecies of old; yet, like the disciples, we do not understand their meaning.

How often He places truth before us, but we fail to grasp it. Could it be that we are too focused on the menial things that surround us? Could it be, that “we are so encumbered with earthly things that we are no heavenly good?”

The activities of the LORD surround us, yet we fail to notice them! His faithfulness abounds, yet we say, “Where is the LORD? Why doesn’t He open the way before us?” Were we only sensitive to His presence, sensitive to His Word, we would understand. We are so earthly entangled that we are spiritually blinded to His presence.

What is that old song churches used to sing?

“Open my eyes that I may see,
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me.
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.”

Could it be that we are our own worst enemy? The LORD has placed
His Word clearly before us, yet we fail to see His truth. He shows us His will, yet we insist on our own. What blessings we miss! Dear LORD, please open our eyes!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Timothy 4:1-8, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:
2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

My dear, maternal grandmother rests in my heart and mind just as the LORD and His Word rested in her heart and soul. How often I have rested in her love for the Scriptures; now, I possess an understanding of her faith that supersedes all I believed as a child.

My grandmother possessed a simple faith: the Bible said it, she believed it, and that was the terminal point of all discussion. She’s been with the LORD for some 64 years now; still, I can clearly recall her simple, but staunch faith as she terminated conversation with the phrase, “You’re not talkin’ to Binny.” (None of us ever knew who “Binny” was).

Grandma’s faith, however, was never in government. Oh, she voted on the issues of the day, but her true and abiding faith was always only in her LORD.

Time has erased from my mind many of the things we faced in earlier days. Yet, nothing has deterred my trust in Scripture or its Author! I envision the possibility of our current governmental train losing its grip on the tracks that are there to guide and stabilize it. Yet, I trust the Engineer, who has truly rescued us in the past.

Storms and tornadoes will doubtlessly continue to rage down upon us. Just wrap yourself in the safety of Truths contained in God’s eternal Word. If you know the LORD, you need nobody else. You are in my daily prayers. Please keep me in yours.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Genesis 14:18-24, “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
19 He blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.’ He gave him a tenth of all.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.”
22 Abram said to the king of Sodom, ‘I have sworn to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth,
23 that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, “I have made Abram rich.”
24 ‘I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.’”

Anyone reading of Abram’s life would never envision him as a
timid, fearful-like man. Just the opposite! Abram was a tiger!
He feared no one except the LORD! Certainly, he had the ability to take what he liked from just about anyone. Still, he was bound by the fear of the LORD. (I have to wonder… Do I have an attitude like Abram? Or am I ready to give to others, but with a wrong motive?)

There is no question but that the King of Sodom tried to strike a bargain with Abram: “Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself.” But Abram saw it as a trap!

There are far more people in the world like Melchizedek than there are like Abram. Shame on us for not possessing Abram’s attitude of fairness. If we possessed fairness, we would quite naturally bring the attitude of Melchizedek into focus without having to mention it.

Try to do better this week, if you will. I’ll make the same effort.
If the LORD is our Shepherd (and He is!); we shall never be in want.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Deuteronomy 13:1-4, “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder,
2 and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’
3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.”

Do you remember a time when you were very small, and your mother asked you a question that seemed strange to you? You answered her, but later asked why she had asked you that question. Her response was that she had heard someone else give an answer to the question, but decided to ask you because she knew you would always tell her the truth.

Truth has value! It’s like good cement that holds the bricks of the house together. Questions, too, should always invite truth. Is there not a Scripture that says, “…and you will know the truth,
and the truth will make you free” (Jn. 8:32)?

We often lay claim to being a “free people.” Yet, if we allow even the slightest tinge of untruth to reside within us, to that extent we are not a totally free people. It’s the “whole truth, and nothing but the truth” that keeps us free. Pray for the peace of your nation, for it is the LORD Jesus Christ alone who makes and keeps you free!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Revelation 20:1-6, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

These intriguing and thought-provoking words from the Scriptures don’t completely answer the questions we all have concerning the afterlife. But, they are either words of encouragement for the true believer, or they are devastating words for the skeptic. I can engage in some thought-provocation, but only speculate with respect to what the above passage seeks to say in full.

What every informed Bible-believer knows is that our current world is racing madly toward its ultimate end –and that end spells devastation to those who have failed to commit their lives to Jesus Christ.

Simultaneously, believers know that all, who have either neglected or rejected the LORD Jesus Christ as their Savior, are racing furiously toward life’s end without the hope of anything but the fires of Hell and the absence of Christ to greet them for all eternity.

Dear friend, please believe me when I say that it’s not the church of any denomination, or any church’s baptism, or any ritual that any church claims to be “eternally saving.” Nor is there some secret, scientific formula that can redeem your soul from Hell. Only the precious blood of our LORD Jesus Christ –blood that was lovingly, willingly shed on the cross for your sins– only that blood can wash away your sin and make you acceptable to Almighty God. I am praying for you.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom