The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezekiel 20:1-8, “Now it came about in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and sat before me.

2 And the word of the LORD came to me saying,

3 ‘Son of man, do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,’ declares the Lord God, “I will not be inquired of by you.”

4 “Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? Make them know the abominations of their fathers;

5 and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “On the day when I chose Israel and swore to the descendants of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, I am the LORD your God,

6 on that day I swore to them, to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had selected for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands.

7 “And I said to them, ‘Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.’

8 “But they rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.”

This is not the first time Israel has been warned to rid herself of things that are detestable to the LORD God. Moses warned the nation, “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

Why is it so much easier to do wrong than to do right? The answer to that question is multiple. For one thing, it’s only “easier” when we do it the first time. Subsequent wrongdoings only “seem” easier for the moment. Yet, the conscience that the LORD has built within us all screams the warning that “we can’t do wrong and get by!” There is a “payday someday.”

Further, anything and everything that goes wrong, subsequent to our sin, will be attributed to our stubborn resistance to the LORD’s warning. What’s the answer to all of this? How do we extricate ourselves from the consequences of our sin? Only by the grace of Almighty God can it be done! He is unquestionably in charge. And He “pins us down” until we cry “uncle!!” “Wrong” screams at us 12 times from Genesis 44 to Revelation 22. When will we listen? When will we learn?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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

Dear Grands,

Exodus 16:22-30, “Now it came about on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers (measures) for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,

23 then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake, and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.”

24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it.

25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.

26 “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.”

27 And it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.

28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions?”

29 “See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore, He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.”

Time had passed and Moses was now the leader in Israel. His words and his commandments came from the LORD; then, they were given to the people. Bear in mind that the early days of Moses were like a father to his children. Moses received a word from the LORD; then he passed that word on to the people.

The position of pastors today is not quite like that of Moses. Yet, they are leaders of their people, responsible for giving them the Word of God from the Bible and urging them to follow that Word without failure.

Parents are to listen carefully to the message from the Scriptures and advise their children just as their pastors have advised them. As in the day of Moses, some today listen carefully, some don’t.

I was reared to strictly follow the Day of the LORD. There was to be no buying or selling of anything on the LORD’s Day. Strangely, however, once Sunday evening services were completed, we often went to the ice cream parlor, where the boys behind the counter piled high on our cones as much as they would hold for a nickel. I guess we followed the “after the sun goes down” routine.

When I commenced preaching, I often would conclude one week’s meeting on Sunday morning and commence another at another church on Sunday night. That meant driving and sometimes purchasing gasoline on Sunday. I came to consider those who were “emergency” personnel: police, doctors, ambulances, etc. They often had to work on Sunday.

Ultimately, after studying the Scriptures more closely, I came to believe that the LORD does allow exceptions when they are true exceptions! That is the position I continue to hold today. Sunday ought to be set aside exclusively primarily for worship, prayer, and the study of Scripture. Our Sunday requirements necessitate others to work on Sundays.

What do you do on Sunday? Are you in church where Jesus Christ is uplifted and praised? Yes, times have changed; but has the LORD changed? Has He changed His basic directive relative to His Day? One Day we will stand before Him and give an account. Let’s just remember that.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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

Dear Grands,

John 8:28-32, “Jesus therefore said, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

30 As (Jesus) spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,

‘If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

There’s really and truly nothing like being free! Related words, such as “freedom, free will, and freely” are not at all new. Both the word and the word’s related concepts are mentioned scores of times throughout both the Old and New Testament. Noticeably, freedom was Jesus’ message as recorded in the above passage by the Apostle John.

Nehemiah, Esther, Proverbs, Ezekiel, Ruth, Philippians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 2nd Timothy, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd John and Jude are alone 13 of the Scripture’s 66 books that exclude the word “free.” Yet, the concept is there.

Still, the truly big question is: 1) Are you free? and 2) how many people do you know who possess no true freedom in their lives? I underwent a medical procedure recently. The nurses who administered it were friendly, but very busy! Still, I had the opportunity to briefly share the LORD with each of them.

We have no idea how the LORD uses even the briefest, earnest witness.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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

Dear Grands,

Exodus 18:5-12, “Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the mount of God.

6 And he sent word to Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.’

7 Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare, and went into the tent.

8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the LORD had delivered them.

9 And Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness, which the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.

10 So Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the LORD who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11 ‘Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.’

12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.”

It’s truly a great and glorious experience when a family can convene together and enjoy each other in the LORD! The surroundings were considerably less than any of us would have, were we to convene for a family dinner.

In fact, it was more—much more—than a family dinner; it was a celebration of the LORD and His goodness, for He had “delivered them from the (Egyptians).” Just imagine the war stories that would have been shared in the evening around an outdoor fire. Captured articles of war would have been demonstrated—articles which had been directed against the enemies by the Hand of the LORD!

Yet, greatest of all, they praised the LORD for His mighty hand that showed He had not forgotten them or their needs. I have a dear friend who is suffering from a dreadful illness. He is a true believer and is resting on the LORD for the ultimate answer to his illness. He wrote to me some time ago, saying that he was so thankful—not for the illness itself—but for the closeness to the LORD that the illness had brought him!

Yes, whatever dangers we face, we can “know that the LORD is greater than all.” He allows circumstances to invade the normal course of our lives in order that we may experience the loving power of His Mighty Hand! We ought to be grateful that He allows whatever is necessary to draw us closer to Him!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

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

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

Dear Grands,

Genesis 50:15-21, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and pay us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!’

16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father charged before he died, saying,

17 “Thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?

20 “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”‘”

There is no question but that it always pays to be on the right side. It’s not good to be late getting there either, because it looks strangely suspicious! You see, Joseph’s brothers had not treated him with kindness in earlier days. Now, their father is dead, and there’s no one to stand between them and Joseph. But, the brothers came upon the idea of telling

Joseph that their father had wanted him to forgive them of their previous sins against him.

Joseph, however, didn’t know of their plan. Still, fearing what Joseph might do in retaliation, they all jumped quickly on board! We’ve all experienced similar things, I’m sure. At home or at work, we’ve all said things against the leadership – until, in fact, we learned they knew of it.

Come to think of it, now is always a good time to get right with the LORD. We need to do it every day because we’re so prone to sinning without thinking about it. Yes, we pray for forgiveness in our nightly prayers; but were we to pray nearer to the time of the sin, we would not be found guilty at bedtime. Bedtime is not the only good time to repent of sin, however! Right now might even be better. It’s surely worth thinking about. What do you say?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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