The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Judges 11:19-21, “And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon, and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us pass through your land to our place.’
20 ‘But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory; so Sihon gathered all his people and camped in Jahaz and fought with Israel.
21 ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.”

Oh, how I wanted to print more of the interaction between Israel and Edom and Moab! But, you would have been reading for several days!)
Suffice it to say that regardless of how politely Israel asked permission
to “pass through (their) land,” they were flatly denied permission.

Now, what is Israel to do? Re-read verse 21 above: “The LORD, the God
of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they
defeated them…” In a word, the Israelites stood back and allowed the
LORD to do what His people could not do!

I’m thinking of Israel, regarding her conflict with Iran and the Palestinians. I’m also thinking of the relentless persecution of Israeli university students, who are suffering persecution at the hands of anti-Israelis!

You, dear reader, may be “up against it” with regard to something too big
for you to handle. Remember that old song (a song we all would do well
not to forget):

“If you trust and never doubt,
He will surely bring you out;
Take your burdens to the LORD
And leave them there.”

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,

Psalm 124:1-8, “Had it not been the LORD who was on our side,” Let Israel now say,
2 “Had it not been the LORD who was on our side when men rose up against us,
3 Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us;
4 Then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul;
5 Then the raging waters would have swept over our soul.”
6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us to be torn by their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the trapper; the snare is broken and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.”

The fighting that exists in Israel today bespeaks the nation’s very life!
When was the last time you looked at the size of Israel on a map? Have
you ever compared Israel with Iran? Israel would fit hundreds of times
inside Iran, were you to compare the two nations.

On it’s face, Israel’s defeat seems inevitable! Yet, the nation
possesses an unbelievable spirit. Most nations –even those of much greater size than Israel—would have declared defeat long ago.

Israel consists of a mere 8,522 square miles, compared to the 636,372 square miles of Iran. That would be something like a tiny mouse compared to a huge black bear. What gives Israel her resilience? In a
word, it is the LORD! More than 61 times the Scriptures speak of “your
land” with respect to Israel.

Stay tuned! The same LORD who has bequethed His Land to His people,
will labor and protect you from all encumbrances. The key to the door is
being one of “His people.” And we become His when we trust the LORD Jesus Christ as our Savior. Have you done that? Fortify yourself in Him today!

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,

Psalm 122:1-9, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem,
3 Jerusalem, that is built as a city that is compact together;
4 To which the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD– an ordinance for Israel– to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there thrones were set for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you.
7 ‘May peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.’
8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, I will now say, ‘May peace be within you.’
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.”

Recent news stories claim that the International Criminal Court (ICC)
“is preparing arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials for alleged war
crimes, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a revelation that has drawn silence, if not acceptance, from the Biden administration” (via
Eric Mack of Newsmax).

I was in Australia when the 6-day War occurred. Israelites freed the Wall, enabling prayer to be offered there for the first time in many, many years.
Miracles were cited in Israel for the occupants, just as had occurred at the
days of our Scripture cited above.

Israel has almost always been on the defensive side of her historic
battles. Historically, the LORD has fought for Israel –and won!—when
Israel was in the right. Those who would currently face-off with Israel should have more than mere “second thoughts.”

Granted, Israel is Jewish, not Christian; and granted Prime Minister
Netanyahu (so far as I know) is not a “secret disciple” of Jesus. Yet, the
right of the Jewish people to live in the Land of Israel has never been
rescinded. It is the gift of the LORD to His people.

Nor has the right of worldwide Christians to pray for Israel ever been
rescinded. Many Israelis have trusted in Jesus as their LORD and Savior.
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” my friend. Such is the LORD’s will for
all believers in Jesus Christ.

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 31:16-21, “’Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.’
17 Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels;
18 and he drove away all his livestock and all his property, which he had gathered,
his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of
Canaan to his father Isaac.
19 When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols
that were her father’s.
20 And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.
21 So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.”

Did I not recently quote the saying, “It’s not right to do wrong to do right?” Well,
that’s exactly what Jacob and his children did to his father-in-law, Laban.

No question about it, Laban was a cheat. Read the whole account and just try to
Keep track of how many times in various ways Laban agreed to something, and
then changed his mind. Truth be told, he probably intended it that way from the
start. Still, it’s always wrong to devise evil against someone else, whether it be
planned way ahead or excuted on the spur of the moment.

like Laban), but if you’re truly deep-down-honest, you’ve probably schemed some
along the way. I’m sure I have.

But, what do we do about the schemes we’ve executed against others? The very
first thing to do is recognize the scheme (however miniscule it may be) as sin!
Acquire the LORD’s forgiveness first. The acquisition itself will give you strength
to “fess up” to the one against whom you sinned. Then, apologize! It must be a
sincere apology, and exhibit genuine remorse. Often, the apology itself will shock
the one to whom you’ve apologized. Just do it! Be sincere! Promise that you will
never be devious again.

The reactions you will receive may vary. That doesn’t matter. Just apologize first
to the LORD, and He will give you strength to apologize to others. Everyone will
feel better when honesty names the steps you take thereafter. God bless you!

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,

Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the
lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Remember the saying, “You can’t do wrong and get by”? While it did not come in that
fashion from the Scriptures, it is a truism indeed! Virtually every day we read and watch
people doing wrong and apparently getting by with what they’re doing. They may elude
their parents, their friends, even law enforcement; however, they cannot escape the
all-seeing eye of Almighty God!

The Scripture passage above reveals the solemn fact that while some things that we do may escape the notice of our fellowman, nothing we do will ultimately escape the
Eye and Judgment of Almighty God! Every one of us will one day stand before God
and give account for the sins of our lives.

Some sins are overt; they can be clearly viewed by other mortals like ourselves.
Other sins are covert; they are not known by anyone except Almighty God Himself!
Some sins are virtually unknown. Other sins are open and clearly known. Nothing, however, will escape the notice of the LORD at the Judgment Seat of Christ!

Prepare for His Judgment! Learn to trust His Word! Yield your life and all to Him!
It’s like a marriage commitment in that He is your only Companion, and He will be
our only Judge.

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