The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 8:31-36, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’
33 They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, “You
will become free?”’
34 Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.
35 ‘The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does
remain forever.
36 ‘So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’”

To some people “being free” means simply “doing whatever you want–no holds barred!” To others, it means possessing time without being
disturbed.

But, what if you are doing something that’s not right? Does freedom
include or allow that?

The speed limit in 70 Mph. But, you can do more than that! Besides,
there are virtually no cars on the road; what could be wrong with going
faster?

The sign says, “Free to take; limit one-per-person.” There is a bunch
of grapefruits. Hardly anyone is taking any. They’ll go bad if not eaten
pretty soon. Is it not beneficial to take more than one?

Jesus had already 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.”

Jesus is speaking truth to His disciples. They did not believe that He
was going to die, especially not for their sins. Yet, there will come a
time when He will die, and for their sins. At that time, they will come to
understand why He had to die, and why for their sins. It was the Father’s
own plan.

This is the Truth! And it is the truth that frees the one who believes
and accepts it. Have you accepted His Truth? Have you come to know that Jesus died on that cross for you?

Think again about what He said: “…you will know the truth, and the
truth will make you free.” Are you really and truly free? Or are you
bound by sin, and hindered from accepting the LORD’s freedom?

Those whom I have known that have accepted Jesus as their LORD,
have rejoiced to be free! You, too, can know that freedom. You won’t
know what it is to be truly free until you accept the LORD Jesus Christ
as your Savior!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

If you have failed to receive your copy, please search your computer.
Sometimes incoming mail goes to unintended files.

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 6:5-7, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man
was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually.
6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and
He was grieved in His heart.
7 The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from
the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and
to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”

I won’t ask you, dear reader, whether you have ever been sorry.
I’m more than certain that you have. I am exceedingly certain I
have. I’ve been sorry for things I’ve done; things I’ve not done;
things I’ve said; things I’ve neglected to say, and the list goes on
and on…

The word “sorry,” with it’s cousin, “sorrow,” appears more than
60 times in the Scripture. The list below covers a lot of sorrows:

God is sorry – Gen 6:6-7 (Does that surprise you?)
Benjamin’s brother is sorry – Jdg 21:6
David is sorry – Psalm 13:2; 31:10; 38:17; 39:2
The Wicked are sorry – Psalm 32:10
Christ is sorry – Isa 53:3
Jeremiah is sorry – Jer 8:18
God will NOT be sorry – Ezekiel 24:14
Paul is sorry – 2 Cor 2:1-7, 6:10; 7:8-11; Phil 2:27; Heb. 12:11
Peter is sorry – 1 Pet. 2:19

Sorrow works in two dimentions: we are sorry for what we have
done; and we are sorry for what we have not done! Sometimes
sorrow comes from forgetting to say “Thank you” to someone who
has helped us. Perhaps, more often than not, sorry comes from
doing or saying something we ought not to have done or said.

Quite often, our emotions get ahead of our intentions, and this sets
in motion a new list of “ought nots.” Don’t kick yourself! At my age
(left for your best guess), I still have to work on this. Even our LORD said, “I am sorry…” (Gen. 6:6-7), although He never sins.

Being sorry allows the entrance of prayer. Prayer erases sorrow,
when we confess the wrong we have done or left undone, or spoken contrary to the truth, or intimated our ignorance or knowledge of something, so as to deceive. Prayer is an excellent “conscience
eraser.” At the same time, we must yield to whatever encouragingly opens the door for sin, because sin –OUR SIN– is what sent Jesus
to the cross.

If you truly know Him, you ought to say “Thank You” every day! If
you have yet to know Him, be thankful that you are still alive and are
able to know Him. Then reachout to Him in thoughtfully sincere prayer. Ask Him to forgive you of your sin and make you one of His children. Then, you can sincerely say, “Thank You, LORD!”

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 20:1-4, “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.”

As John the Apostle moves steadily toward the end of the Revelation, he speaks
of an angel coming from Heaven and holding the key to the bottomless pit (abyss).
The angel controls the key, and enables the door to be shut and sealed, making it impossible for the prisoners to escape.

At the end of the 1,000 years, the dead will be released for a brief time. They
will be judged for not having repented of their sins on earth and for not having
accepted Christ as LORD and Savior. There will be no escape!

The righteous dead, who had trusted the LORD and had refused to take the
mark of the beast, will come to life and reign with Christ for 1,000 years! In which
group do you currently reside? I earnestly hope and pray you are in the righteous
group. Those in the righteous group will rejoice forever in the worship of the LORD!
I am praying for you and urge you to trust the LORD as your Savior and LORD
today! Don’t put it off! Who knows how little time is left before He comes?

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,

John 20:22-29, “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said
to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you
retain the sins of any, they have been retained.’
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when
Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples were saying to him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But
he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put
my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not
believe.’
26 After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them.
Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said,
‘Peace be with you.’
27 Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here with your finger, and see My hands;
and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving,
but believing.’
28 Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”

Have you noticed how some news media give you what they deem their
account of what occurred? Yet, if you want the whole account accurately
given, it’s necessary to solicit someone else’s view of what happened. I’m
sure you have witnessed similar things occur many times.

It’s possible that disciple Thomas had previously been deceived and was
less ready to believe than others. In fact, he was quite adamant about it!
Still, things are not always what they seem; therefore, it behooves us to
examine all the evidence in any matter before reaching a conclusion.

The other disciples, however, had personally witnessed Jesus’ presence;
therefore, belief came easier to them than it would to Thomas. He was
adament, much like the one who said, “Don’t bother me with the facts, my
mind is made up!”

Eight days later, Jesus appeared again to His disciples. This time, Thomas
was present. He softly challenged Thomas to see and feel His Hands. Thomas
then proclaimed: “My LORD and my God!” Jesus then blessed Thomas, but
added, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

How much do you trust Jesus? Before you answer, remember that your
placement in eternity rests heavely upon what you say in true faith. Do you
want or need to seriously think and pray about it before you reply?

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,

Job 37:9-13, “Out of the south comes the storm, and out of the north the cold.
10 “From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11 “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
12 “It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever
He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth.
13 “Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.”

Have you ever discovered something you couldn’t explain? Maybe it was some-
thing you read… Maybe something you experienced… Whatever, it was, the
answer to the mystery lay just out of reach, just beyond your understanding.

There were some mysteries that stymied Job of old. He lacked the understanding
of many of life’s vicissitudes; yet, he was quick to allow that whatever fell upon him came from the LORD. If such things were good, they came from the LORD. If they
were punitive, they came from the LORD. For Job, everything that occurred in life
originated with the LORD.

A friend moves away… a loved one suffers a severe setback… one you saw just
yesterday is today with the LORD. How are such things to be explained? Job said,
“Whether for correction or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to
happen.”

There’s an old hymn that used to be sung in churches:

“Trials dark on ev’ry hand
And we cannot understand
All the ways that God would lead us
To that blessed Promised Land;
But He guides us with His eye,
And we’ll follow ‘till we die.
For we’ll understand it better by and by.”

The Scriptures tell us that “…faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the
Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). And there are 61 verses of Scripture that
assure us that we, who know and serve Him, are “in His Hands.” And if you
don’t know Him, I can only say “You don’t know what you’re missing.”

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