The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ezekiel 20:18-26, “And I said to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, or keep their ordinances, or defile yourselves with their idols.

19 ‘I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and observe them.

20 ‘And sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the LORD your God.’

21 “But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So, I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

22 “But I withdrew My hand and acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.

23 “Also, I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the lands,

24 because they had not observed My ordinances, but had rejected My statutes, and had profaned My sabbaths, and their eyes were on the idols of their fathers.

25 “And I also gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live;

26 and I pronounced them unclean because of their gifts, in that they caused all their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD.”

It’s not easy to be a spiritual leader. The words above demonstrate the difficulty of leadership in biblical times. The sins of the people required Ezekiel to either ignore their wrongs or to hold firmly to what was right in the LORD’s eyes. To his credit and to the glory of the LORD, Ezekiel did what the LORD required! Notice that Ezekiel’s stand was not intended to ingratiate himself to the people but to exalt the Name of the LORD God. This is precisely what every spiritual leader in every true church should be and do today. It is the LORD’s Name that requires our obedience. It is our obedience to the LORD that will lead His people in right paths. And therein alone is the LORD glorified!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

– Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Lamentations 3:14-22, “I have become a laughingstock to all my people, their mocking song all the day. 15 He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood. 16 And He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust. 17 And my soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. 18 So I say, ‘My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the LORD.’ 19 Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. 20 Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. 21 This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. 22 The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.”

Be honest! Have you ever felt like Jeremiah in verses 14-23? Well, maybe not exactly like Jeremiah, but quite closely to the description above. Things have gone wrong in your life. You’re not sure what caused the problem—or how it might be resolved. You’ve prayed earnestly to the LORD about it all, but He has either not replied or responded with words that you did not desire to hear. Truthfully, everything seems to have gone wrong! And while we’re at it, why do things like this have to happen to us, anyway? Is He not LORD of all? Could He not correct what is broken?

It’s easy to blame others for our sins! We know the LORD is ultimately in charge. The problem is we hate to admit that we are the ones who have “done wrong.” We’ve forgotten the Scripture that says, “…behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

The mere awareness of sin in our lives should drive us to prayerful repentance! Our responsibility is to exalt the LORD Jesus Christ, not affix blame. “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Psalm 103:1).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

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,

Jeremiah 5:22-29, “’Do you not fear Me?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.

23 ‘But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and departed.

24 They do not say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the LORD our God, Who gives rain in its season, both the autumn rain and the spring rain, Who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’

25 ‘Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have withheld good from you.

26 ‘For wicked men are found among My people; they watch like fowlers, lying in wait; they set a trap, they catch men….’

29 ‘Shall I not punish these people?’ declares the LORD, ‘On a nation such as this shall I not avenge Myself?’‘

What is it that makes us think we’re “special” in God’s sight? It is true that the nations whose people can read this GRANDS LETTER are nations that have known the blessings of the LORD. Yet, that is not to say that those receptive nations were at any time deserving of God’s blessings. We often – too often – believe ourselves to have “favored nation status” with the LORD. It’s a proud and haughty people who hold that view! The LORD possesses His own reasons for blessing nations – reasons He carefully keeps to Himself.

Let us behave ourselves and glorify Him! Surely, He will then continue to forgive and bless us and enable us to reach others for Him! We need to be a people of love and of prayer. Do you know Him? If you do, you ought to be praying for those who don’t and seeking to share His love with them?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

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,

Isaiah 1:16-20, “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil,

17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.

18 “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.

19 “If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land;

20 “But if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. Truly, the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Were you ever turned away from the dinner table because you had neglected to wash your hands? Did you ever have a teacher or a boss who told you quite sternly that you didn’t know as much as you thought you did? You wanted to reply and explain, but you were not allowed to speak!

Those things come to mind when I read the above passage from Isaiah. We sometimes become so engrossed in secular and/or sinful things that we are not properly attired to even kneel in the LORD’s presence, let alone utter words in prayer. I’ve experienced that. Have you?

Let me suggest that you read again the passage noted above. The LORD will help us if we prayerfully repent. Human parents don’t want to punish us for doing wrong; neither does the LORD. He loves to forgive us, but we must faithfully “wash our hands” first.

I checked, and mine were a bit dirty; how about yours?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

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,

Song of Solomon 8:4-7, “I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, Do not arouse or awaken my love, until she pleases.”

5 “Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?” “Beneath the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in labor with you, there she was in labor and gave you birth.

6 “Put me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, jealousy is as severe as Sheol; its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD.

7 “Many waters cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it; if a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.”

Some of you readers may be surprised that I have elected to include a selection from the Song of Solomon in today’s Scriptural reading. Some may also be surprised that many believers today (and of centuries past) have ignored the book altogether, inasmuch as the wording gives itself to what many would term licentious. Yet, we, who are adult believers, should respect it and its placement in Scripture, as being the will of God; otherwise, it would not rest at all within Holy Writ.

It must be admitted, however, that Christian couples who immerse themselves often in this volume would keep those early days of married life alive and meaningful.

Christian believers, however, while admitting that portions of this book are difficult to read publicly, are, nevertheless, a clearly a part of Scripture as are the Gospels of the New Testament. By the way, when did you last hear a Sunday sermon from the Song of Solomon?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

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