The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ruth 1:1-9, “Now it came about in the days when the judges governed, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.

2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife, Naomi; and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem in Judah. Now they entered the land of Moab and remained there.

3 Then Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left with her two sons.

4 And they took for themselves Moabite women as wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years.

5 Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; and the woman was bereft of her two children and her husband.

6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the land of Moab, for she had heard in the land of Moab that the LORD had visited His people in giving them food.

7 So she departed from the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her; and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.

8 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me.

9 “May the LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.”

Circumstances often shape our lives and determine what we do. Job changes sometimes cause people to move across or even outside their country. The availability of jobs is always a major factor. Marriages and births rearrange our lives as well. Such was the situation with this Jewish couple, whose life change was indeed a major factor that would figure into the future life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Elimelech and Naomi were Judeans, but when famine struck Judea, they moved with their two sons to Moab. All was apparently well until Elimelech died. It’s one thing for a family to live in a foreign country; it’s quite another when the head of the family is not there to guide. Complicating Naomi’s situation were the marriages of her sons to Moabite women.

Yet, the LORD had a plan unknown to Naomi. Undoubtedly, she prayed, and the LORD led her to return to Judea. His plan was fundamentally greater than hers, although it did not seem that way at the time.

Prayer is always a major factor when situations become difficult. True faith always results in effective prayer. Sincere believers’ first resort is always sincere prayer. Are you currently facing a major difficulty? The LORD is our game-changer. Trust Him prayerfully. All will ultimately be well when we rest ourselves in His warm and capable hands.

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,

Judges 1:3-7, “Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, ‘Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted to you.’ So Simeon went with him.

4 And Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands; and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek.

5 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

7 And Adoni-bezek said, ‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.’ So they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.”

In the journeys of the LORD’s people, He often gave them land that was occupied by their enemies. This in itself ought to teach us the value of always being on the LORD’s side. But be against the LORD and lose; be for and with the LORD and win!

Notice carefully, however, that Judah and Simeon had each been allotted land by the hand of the rightful Owner, the LORD! Things are somewhat different today; and far too many want far more than is legally granted to them. It all belongs to the LORD, and He alone has the right to give it to whom He will.

At the same time, opposition is always present, making it necessary to depend upon the LORD. Yes, He is the rightful owner; still, there are always those who challenge His right.

And there are those who have no rights whatsoever to the land or the produce that comes from the land.

Whatever the situation, we must never forget that the LORD is the Primary Overseer, and the One upon whom we must depend. Notice that Adoni-bezek (Lord of Bezek) fled and was conquered. What the LORD’s people did to him seems beyond the pale today; still, they conquered him and his people. So they brought him to Jerusalem, where he died.

We are not in business to kill people; but we are in business to do as the LORD commands. What has He assigned you?

Are you attending to your task?

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,

Joshua 1:1-5, “Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,

2 ‘Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

3 ‘Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.

4 ‘From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory.

5 ‘No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.'”

The LORD never leaves His people without a leader. Furthermore, as vital as one leader is to a people, when that leader’s work is completed, he is removed, and the LORD provides another. His work always continues. In other words, the work is ultimately more vital than the leader.

Trace some of the vibrant leaders the LORD put in place throughout the Old Testament: Adam, Enoch, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Methuselah, Samson, Moses, and the list goes on. Each one had a “ministry” to perform. Some ministries were superior to others; some were more extravagant than others; yet, each servant was the LORD’s servant and each was assigned a particular task. When one’s task was completed, the LORD assigned another with a specific responsibility.

All of that is to say that the LORD has placed the Holy Spirit “within” and “over” each of us, assigning us specific tasks. Some tasks may seem more important than others—but they are not! Is it the wood framing that’s more important to the house, or the nails that hold the wood in its place? It all works together.

If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, and are committed to Him and trusting Him in the guidance of your life, you are on the right track. If you’re a parent, your primary responsibility is to properly guide your children. If you’re in leadership in a church or a business, you have the responsibility to lead those who rank under you. Just remember: the LORD is your True Leader; He leads you and then others through you. You are responsible to Him and to them in that order. Be faithful in the task that He has assigned you. He will be faithful to 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,

Deuteronomy 1:1-8, “These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel and Laban and Hazeroth and Dizahab.

2 It is an eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.

3 And it came about in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the LORD had commanded him to give to them,

4 after he had defeated Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.

5 Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this law, saying,

6 “The LORD our God spoke to us at Horeb, saying, ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

7 ‘Turn and set your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites, and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negev and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.

8 ‘See, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them.’

Life needs direction. The LORD had led His people from the wilderness all the way to Kadesh-barnea. Forty years had now passed, and it was time for Moses to reveal to the people what the LORD had revealed to him.

There’s a time and a place for everything. In many ways, Moses was like a parent instructing his children, Israel. Yet, it was the LORD Who instructed Moses, and through him, passed on to the people what the LORD had said. It’s the LORD who is always our Chief Instructor. What He shares with His leaders, He will eventually allow to be shared with us, His people.

All of this requires us to be patient and obedient. Trouble persists when we get hurried and out of line with what the LORD requires. His authority can be for us a parent, a pastor, or anyone who outranks us in authority in the LORD’s work. Our key responsibility commences with learning that we are not in authority and then submitting to the One who is.

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,

I Samuel 15:22-28, “And Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.

23 ‘For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.’

24 “Then Saul said to Samuel, ‘I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

25 ‘Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.’

26 But Samuel said to Saul, ‘I will not return with you; for you have rejected the Word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.’

27 And as Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.

28 So Samuel said to him, ‘The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.'”

The problem in the passage above is not a problem with the commentary; it’s a problem with Saul’s refusal to accept it. When we find ourselves questioning the LORD’s Word, either as to its accuracy or as to its relevancy in our lives, we have a problem!

Saul’s sin ultimately brought him the rebuke of the LORD through the ministerial voice of Samuel. Saul was intentionally attempting to overlook his prior sin of sacrificing on the altar of the LORD. Samuel was aware of Saul’s sin; he was also aware of Saul’s attitude. He refused to travel with Saul. Neither he nor we ought to attempt to run with both sides.

Ultimately, Saul “seized the edge of (Samuel’s) robe and tore it.”

Samuel immediately pronounced a judgment against Saul, saying, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.”

That must have stung bitterly! Yet, what Samuel said, he said as from the LORD! Saul spoke against the “LORD’s anointed.” Be careful about criticizing those whom the LORD has placed over you. They are His men. He has anointed and trained them for our benefit.

Saul might have been extremely useful in the LORD’s work. Yet, he dared to criticize the LORD by criticizing the LORD’s servant. None of us (servants or not) are ultimately “in charge.” We ourselves have responsibilities for which we must give an account (2 Tim. 2:15).

May our prayer be that we might become a credit to our LORD and to the responsibilities He has entrusted to us.

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