The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 4:26-32, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

If there is anyone who understands anger, it is a very little child. I have a picture of my daughter when she was quite young, holding a small booklet while a photographer attempted to take her picture. He took the little booklet from her hands and she began to cry. Since the booklet was not considered a vital part of the picture, he gave her the booklet and she stopped crying.

Sometimes I think of the early church as a little child. It whimpers and shows “bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander” – everything that belongs somewhere else if it belongs anywhere at all.

Salvation is vital! What’s more, it antedates baptism and church membership and teaching Sunday School. Certainly, the five or more prohibitions Paul lays before the Ephesian Church are as necessary today as they were in Paul’s day. That is not to say that everyone must be in spiritual lockstep with even the pastor. We are, however, to behave as adults, not as children, much less as babies. I’ve known people who got angry because someone was sitting in the seat he or she had marked as their own.

According to Paul, that grieves the Holy Spirit. True believers are to be kind,

tender-hearted, and forgiving of others. How else is He to prepare and use us “to the praise of His glory”?

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,

Ephesians 4:26-32, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

If there is anyone who understands anger, it is a very little child. I have a picture of my daughter when she was quite young, holding a small booklet while a photographer attempted to take her picture. He took the little booklet from her hands, and she began to cry. Since the booklet was not considered a vital part of the picture, he gave her the booklet, and she stopped crying.

Sometimes I think of the early church as a little child. It whimpers and shows “bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander” – everything that belongs somewhere else, if it belongs anywhere at all.

Salvation is vital! What’s more, it antedates baptism and church membership and teaching Sunday School. Certainly, the five or more prohibitions Paul lays before the Ephesian Church are as necessary today as they were in Paul’s day. That is not to say that everyone must be in spiritual lockstep with even the pastor. We are, however, to behave as adults, not as children, much less as babies. I’ve known people who got angry because someone was sitting in the seat he or she had marked for their own.

According to Paul, that grieves the Holy Spirit. True believers are to be kind,

tender-hearted, and forgiving of others. How else is He to prepare and use us “to the praise of His glory”?

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,

Ruth (2:8-12), “Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘Listen carefully, my daughter. Do not go to glean in another field; furthermore, do not go on from this one, but stay here with my maids.’

9 ‘Let your eyes be on the field which they reap, and go after them. Indeed, I have commanded the servants not to touch you. When you are thirsty, go to the water jars and drink from what the servants draw.’

10 Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your sight that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?”

11 Boaz replied to her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth and came to a people that you did not previously know.”

12 “May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.”

There is a huge amount of “disguised cover” and intention to this interchange between Boaz and Ruth. Ruth was previously married, but probably not for long. Her former husband, Mahlon, had died leaving her without any children. Thus, it is more than likely that being married and having children was still her desire.

It’s always desirable, too, to have relatives who are comfortable with one’s desire for marriage and children. What’s pitiful are parents who don’t want children and/or children who don’t want the parents they’ve been given.

Yet, Boaz has undoubtedly thought of Ruth as a viable marriage partner. He has allowed her to glean what the reapers either missed or intentionally dropped and told her to stay in his fields.

We would all do well to work and “stay in the fields” of the LORD, being ever and always an example to others of His love and grace while resting ourselves in His loving and gracious protection.

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,

Genesis 22:1-8, “Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’

2 He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.

5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.

7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” And he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.

Has the LORD ever put you to a test? If so, it’s nothing to fear; it’s just what He occasionally does in order to prove to us what and where we are, while “shaking” us into reality. Of course, He already knows where we are at all times; it’s simply His way of “awakening” us and letting us know that His eye is consistently upon us.

Think back on school times. You walk into class, expecting nothing out of the ordinary, only to have the instructor come through the door saying, “Okay, class! Books closed; pencils sharp; minds alert! We’re going to have a quiz!”

Momentarily, all hearts sink—and then slowly we recover. What’s the point of this, anyway? One point is to remind the class that they should have read and re-read the lesson instead of watching sports on TV the night before!

In true reality, the LORD wants us to keep alert on the main thing: the class and all that it encompasses. He doesn’t intend for our hearts to fail; just that we are always awake and alert to His availability to hear and for counsel.

Are we always alert to His counsel? Do we live in a state of prayerfulness? Are we sensitive to His presence? Do we meditate daily on His Word? It’s a need that we have that only He can satisfy. Hopefully, this is so!

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,

Matthew 7:7-11, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?

10 “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?

11 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

“Why did you give that to him?” the child asked.

“Because you didn’t say that you wanted it,” was the reply.

I’m certain that there are many to whom I’m writing today who have complained about not having received something they truly wanted. The problem was: they never asked for it!

I’m certain, too, that this occurs in the spiritual realm. What does the verse above say? “Ask, and it will be given to you.” and “everyone who asks receives.” These are not “maybe” promises! They are true and faithful promises!

Have you found that it is sometimes hard to believe God? Well, it’s never His problem; it’s ours! We toss a soft, rubber ball to a two- or three-year-old child.

He misses catching it; but we don’t miss understanding why. The reason is simple: he’s only three years old! Yet, as he grows, he becomes more skillful with balls and bats and things like that. We have to be patient.

Have you ever thought about how patient the LORD is with us? I doubt that we will ever know how patient He truly is in all things! Still, He continues to engage us in more than youthful activities. When He has taught us the elementary things, He helps us progress to more adult-like things. How far along in spiritual knowledge are we who know Him? Not far enough along, I’d say!

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