The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

I Kings 3:12-15, “Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.

13 “And I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days.

14 “And if you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days.”

15 Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.”

Despite his many missteps in life, Solomon understood right from wrong. He knew what was right; he simply didn’t always follow it. (Know anyone like that?) This initial promise of wisdom in the verses above was a gift from Almighty God. It’s all recorded in 1 Kings 3:16-27.

Wisdom, however, was not given to Solomon alone. It’s available to each of us if we follow our LORD’s instructions. It all begins with our belonging to Him. We must first admit and renounce all sin in our lives, dedicating ourselves to the LORD and being always instantly available to obey His commands.

Never fear the darkness of your mission. Just remember that your LORD is the Light of the World! If a city He has placed on a hill is viewable to those who will look (and it is!), then we may surely invest our complete trust in Him, whatever He assigns us. God bless you in your exciting adventure!

Heartily yours in Christ Jesus,

Gene

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Job 42:10-13, “And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the LORD increased all that Job had twofold. 11 Then all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all who had known him before, came to him, and they ate bread with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought on him. And each one gave him one piece of money, and each a ring of gold. 12 And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning, and he had 14,000 sheep, and 6,000 camels, and 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 And he had seven sons and three daughters.”

Have you ever been in trouble? I mean, “real trouble!” The determination of the true meaning of “trouble” depends on a factor of things. If you read the earlier portion of the passage above, you will quickly learn what “real trouble” is!

Job had a good habit of having dinner with his children. Yet, one day as they were gathered for dinner, trouble roared down upon all of them, and they died. Only Job was spared. Yet, in time (as we see in the Scripture above), the LORD restored everything that Job had lost. Furthermore, the LORD doubled everything so that Job was materially better off than before his first loss.

Sometimes we lose things – even friends — and we weary ourselves with the loss because we were the cause of it. Yet, the LORD is capable of restoring friends as easily as with all other losses. Of course, it’s better not to have encountered losses in the first place. Yet, in the long run, losses are not losses when the LORD intervenes.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Heartily yours in Christ Jesus,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Proverbs 17:22-27: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. 23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom to pervert the ways of justice. 24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. 25 A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. 26 It is also not good to fine the righteous, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness. 27 He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

An exciting and effective venture this past week offered opportunities for which I am most grateful. They brought me into contact with some people I had never met and gave me the opportunity to share my faith in Jesus Christ.

Oftentimes, a small Gospel Tract allows one who is shy or timid to share his or her faith in Christ with someone they have never met. Circumstances, too, always dictate how a person shares the faith. Time is often a factor, but Gospel Tracts are popular and have been spiritually profitable in multiple instances.

On these occasions, I simply smiled and said, “I would like to share with you this small tract that I wrote.” Neither hesitated to receive it and graciously thanked me. We never know what is operating in the heart and life of another. Learn to share the Gospel of Christ; it is the spiritual medicine everyone needs at some point in life. Use the tract below to help someone come to know Jesus! You will both be the better for it.

View: “It’s Not How You Play the Game”

Heartily yours in Christ Jesus,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
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,

Psalm 119:61-66, “The cords of the wicked have encircled me, but I have not forgotten Thy law. 62 At midnight I shall rise to give thanks to Thee because of Thy righteous ordinances. 63 I am a companion of all those who fear Thee, and of those who keep Thy precepts. 64 The earth is full of Thy lovingkindness, O LORD; teach me Thy statutes. 65 Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant, O LORD, according to Thy word. 66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Thy commandments.”

Wickedness is a prime feature of Satan. His ways are crafty and skillfully designed to mislead those who are intent on following Jesus. Then someone comes to mankind, bearing suspicious truths and what only appears to be the rightful paths of the LORD. Yet, on careful examination, nothing of what he carries proves to be of the LORD.

Yet, how is the righteous one to discern the true value of Satan’s declarations? He rises from sleep and “gives thanks to the LORD.” Once the believer has evaluated Satan’s proclamation, rising from sleep and giving thanks is a primary act of love!

While not specifically stated, it is vital to maintain companionship with those who love and keep the teachings of the LORD. For the companions, who fear the LORD, are far more likely to lead you into further paths of righteousness than those who think (however sincerely or otherwise) that they are already following the ways of the LORD.

Look around you, the Psalmist says, the earth is full of the LORD’s lovingkindness. Teach me your statutes – the principles of Your ways – that are contained in Your Word! Teach me “good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Thy commandments.” Then, and only then, I will live and teach them to all my friends and acquaintances.

Heartily yours in Christ Jesus,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
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 5:33-39, “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.
34 “But the witness which I receive is not from man, but I say these things that you may be saved.
35 “He was the lamp that was burning and was shining, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
36 “But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
38 “And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent.
39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.”

Why am I sharing this Grands Letter? Originally, I commenced the Letter as a witness to my great-grandchildren. They’re far too young to grasp just now the things said here, but they will acclimatize as they grow older. Not only do I want to see them come to faith in our LORD Jesus Christ, I want them to become witnesses of Him to others.

There were many beyond my great-grands that need to learn about Jesus Christ, and more still who know the LORD but need encouragement to share Him with others. Living in Florida at the time, I wrote a small Gospel Tract that believers could share with their unbelieving friends. A Jewish printer in New Jersey produced the first batch, and I’ve always wondered if the Tract itself had any spiritual effect on him. Maybe you’ll find my Gospel Tract helpful in reaching people for Jesus. I hope and pray that you will! Just be prayerful in your ventures! Jesus is far more important than a digital tract.

“It’s Not How You Play the Game”

Heartily yours in Christ Jesus,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
United States of America
“We will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have”
– Corrie ten Boom