The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Genesis 19:9-14, “But they said, ‘Stand aside.’ Furthermore, they said, ‘This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them.’ So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.
10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
11 They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.
12 Then the two men said to Lot, ‘Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place;
13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it.’
14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city.” But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting.”

In the previous chapter, the LORD said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is
indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.” Yet, following the LORD’s assessment of Sodom’s sin (18:20), Abraham sought to appease the LORD’s thinking and gradually encourage Him to spare the city.

How like that we are today! “Just leave our sin to us,” we say. “We’ll handle every-
thing.” Yet, we can’t, and we don’t! With a deluge of “preachers” on the internet,
the behavior of the world is moving toward Sodom and its homosexuality. Do you
remember the old saying, “Believe only half of what you see and nothing of what you hear”? –or was it “…half of what you hear and nothing of what you see?” Either works well with the Internet these days.

Only the financial situation seems tenuously holding things together –and that is temporal in that the nations’ need for each other keeps them from outright war. The warning of Holy Scripture is not to be ignored! The LORD has spoken, and only those who heed His warning can hope to survive. Yet, the situation will get worse as time moves rapidly along.

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,

Galatians 6:1-7, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
5 For each one will bear his own load.
6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

There’s no mistake about it: Paul speaks his mind and gets right to the heart of
the problem. Most of us believers (myself included) should/must adhere to the
teaching in these verses. Too often we “ah, HA!” when someone is discovered
doing wrong. Paul says that we should be gentle and restore in love and kindness
those who fall into sin.

If you’ve ever been caught doing or saying something you ought not to have done,
you have but to be greatful for those who taught you in kindness and love and
helped your restoration in fellowship with the LORD and with His people. Those
who pretend to be Christians, yet do not assist in the rehabilitation of a sinner, are
living outside of the Apostle’s directive.

Undoubtedly, there are multiple reasons for us to examine ourselves and our
works. It’s so easy to blame others for their sins; yet, we who stand by and look on
are ourselves as guilty as they. There is more than one way to mock God. And we
are warned by instruction that “whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (v. 7).

This passage warns us even as it encourages us not to “think that (we) are something.” Rather, it is we who have been “taught the Word (and are) to share all good things with the one who (is) teaching (us).”

Pray for your pastors and teachers. They have a heavy burden as they pray for us
and teach us the Word. Don’t ever think (much less, believe) that you’ve arrivedThere’s so much that we do not know — much that we will never know! Thus, we
must study to show ourselves approved of God. He is pleased when He sees us
studying and learning and growing daily to be more like Him.

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,

Galatians 6:1-7, “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.
5 For each one will bear his own load.
6 The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

There is a natural tendency to chide those we find doing wrong. The Apostle Paul, however, teaches that we are to restore those we find doing wrong. His assumption is that we are spiritual. It’s naural for us to accuse and demean a liar, forgetting that we ourselves are or have been guilty of the same sin.

Bearing another’s burden means to recognize our own sin and be sympathic with the sinfulness of others. If you’ve been taught what is right –what the Word, the Scripture, says is right—you can then share what is right with others.

Be careful not to be misled, and don’t “mock” or “sneer” at God. How you behave toward others, the LORD will cause to others to behave toward you.

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,

II Samuel 12:19, “But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, ‘Is the child dead?’ And they said, ‘He is dead.’”

The Scriptures are never timid in setting forth man’s sin. Nor are they embarrassed to reveal the sometimes boisterous temperament of one who elsewhere in Scripture is termed “a man after God’s own heart.” Disturbed over the LORD’s slaying of Uzzah, the Bible boldly states that “David became angry because of the LORD’s outburst against Uzzah” (II Sam. 6:8). Thus, this “man after God’s own heart” was capable of anger. Yet now, he is doubtlessly contrite as he mourns the illness of his newborn son –a son whose life is quickly ebbing away.

When ultimately, the child dies, David consoles himself saying, “I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” These are hardly the words of a man lingering in uncertainty and despair. Nor are they the words of a man, who is either uncertain of his son’s whereabouts or confident of his son’s eternal devastation, speaks with mocking nonchalance. Rather, it is the voice of a confident father, who envisions a reconciliation with a son he barely knew, the child being dead at the age of a mere 7 days.

Further, David moves forthwith to the House of the LORD to worship. The vestiges of his previous anger are nowhere in sight. Instead, love for his God has replaced hate. Joy in the LORD has displaced sorrow for his son. That the LORD alone knows the eternal disposition of the son of David and Bathsheba is unquestionable. But, with the Scriptures having opened themselves to view the extremes of King David’s emotions, the evidence of consolation argues heavily for the acceptance of the son in the LORD’s Heavenly abode.

Remember the Apostle Paul’s admonition: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

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,

Psalm 15:1-5, A Psalm of David. “O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?
2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.
3 He does not slander with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.”

The daily news reveals that mankind everywhere is living in violation of the Word
of God. Walking with integrity, working righteously and speaking truth seem
foreign to mankind throughout the world.

Lying about and to others, doing evil to others, even to those whom we would call “friends” –marks one as a reprobate. He says one thing, but does another. He is
totally undependable in all aspects of life. His ways are twisted, and his life is far
from the LORD.

Reprobates are despised; yet there are those who honor the LORD. They are
truthful, although being truthful is often to their own disadvantage. The LORD
is the stabilization of the righteous. May we reject the evil that pervades the
world; and may our lives be strengthened, as we live and serve according to
the LORD’s directive.

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