The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 2:8-13, “But one has testified somewhere, saying, ‘WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM?

7 ‘YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.’” For in subjecting all things to Him, He left nothing that is not subject to Him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to Him.

9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.”

13 And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.”

Paul, whom I earnestly believe to be the author of this Epistle to the Hebrews, gives decided emphasis to our LORD Jesus Christ. He honors Christ, indicating that for a short time (three and one-half years) Jesus lived on the earth as “a little lower than the angels…”

In John 17:10, the apostle John cites somewhat the same declaration when he records the words of Christ Jesus who responded to the Father, saying: “…all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them.”

At the same time, there is a sense in which all that the LORD has given to us has been given that He might be glorified in and through us. Shamefully, we assess what He has given to us as being for our glory, when they are merely “loaned” to us that He might be glorified in how we use them. The Father was glorified through His Son; now the Son is to be glorified through us. We have a tremendous responsibility for which one day we will be held accountable.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

2 Peter 1:2-8, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,

6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,

7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.

8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There is just nothing that compares with the grace and peace that comes from our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter emphasizes this by saying that grace and peace are “multiplied” to us by the Lord Himself.

Certainly, there are times when we are saddened by the negative circumstances of life. We then cry, “Oh, Lord, why?” It is not always best that He respond so quickly to us; certainly not in the manner in which we often reach out to Him. We sense the urgency of His presence and need for His comfort; but in the end, we learn that what we thought was tardiness on His part was clearly to our advantage.

Our hurriedness is often to our own disadvantage. The Lord is never late in His distribution of love and comfort. Our eagerness is more often to our own hurt. Sixteen times, from the book of Matthew to the books of Peter, the Scripture urges us to be patient. Impatience is a sign of human doubt. It is, in fact, a question of whether the Lord will at all respond. Doubt is always a negative display. We are to believe in Him! Belief is always the display of trust!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Proverbs 3:13-24, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.

14 For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.

15 She is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.

16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

17 Her ways are pleasant ways and all her paths are peace.

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.

19 The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens.

20 By His knowledge the deeps were broken up and the skies drip with dew.

21 My son, let them not vanish from your sight; keep sound wisdom and discretion,

22 so they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck.

23 Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble.

24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”

Those who have read of Solomon in the Scriptures are well aware of his intelligence and his acquisition of immense personal wealth. Yet, his words in this passage inform us that wisdom is the principal factor, and he would have others acquire it rather than riches. He allows that there is profit in silver and gold, yet he argues that wisdom is far more precious.

Solomon speaks of the value of long life; yet without the adornment of knowledge and wisdom, even the extension of life is lacking in true value. He personalizes life, identifying it as feminine. He clothes wisdom in fine jewels and sees her hand clasping riches and honor. Wisdom is pleasant and overflows in peace.

Wisdom lies in the hand of the LORD. It is His foundation upon which the earth rests. Understanding was also embedded in His plan for the earth. By divine knowledge, the LORD brought forth water from the depths of the earth, and the skies shared with the earth her abundance of rain.

Solomon admonishes his audience to retain his words. His promise is that the words will be life to men’s souls, and such will be beneficial to those who hear and obey them. Whether one be alert and awake or asleep and at rest, these principles of wisdom will serve them abundantly well. Be encouraged, therefore, to seek only that which the LORD has provided. Only His provisions will be beneficial. The LORD does all things exceedingly well!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Haggai 1:1-7, “In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the LORD came by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, saying,

2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘This people says, “The time has not come, even the time for the house of the LORD to be rebuilt.”‘”

3 Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,

4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”

5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

6 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”

7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

One of the factors that makes the Bible somewhat difficult to understand is its generalization of otherwise clear factors. Words like “king,” “prophet,” and “governor” are understandable, to be sure. Yet, when the word says, “Consider your ways,” things are a bit different.

It’s not that our “ways” are not discernible; rather, it’s that they are not desirable. Now, add to that the fact that we don’t want to examine our ways too closely because we know them to be undesirable to the LORD. It’s much like when we were children and we were told it was “time to take a bath” or “time to go to bed.” We simply did not want to do what we were told.

How like that are we with the Word of the LORD! His directive for us is to engage in what He has designed for us. Let’s say that He is directing us to “give up” something we’ve been doing, or a verbal phrase that is not becoming of a Christian. It’s not something patently bad morally; we already know those things are wrong. Rather, it’s moving a bit too closely to things parents just want their children to avoid. You know what it takes to fill in the blanks.

Yet, prior to examining everything closely, we have noticed that the LORD either forbids His children from participating or the Holy Spirit is insisting that we terminate what we’re doing until He explains the situation to us. Not paying attention to what the LORD says is why things are not working out as we had expected. “But if I do this,” we argue, “it will surely be acceptable. My motives are pure.” Well, maybe they are, but “It’s never right to do wrong to do right.”

If we belong to the LORD, even when our parents do not, we are responsible to obey them. The LORD has given us parents to guide us in right paths. If we belong to the LORD and our parents do not, we are permitted to speak, but it is the LORD’s responsibility to awaken them to His Truth. In the meantime, we are to obey those to whom He has entrusted our care until they come to know Him. When we are obedient to Him, even lost parents will notice and hopefully will come to Him themselves. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6).

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Acts 11:19-26, “So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.

20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

22 The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch.

23 Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;

24 for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.

25 And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul;

26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”

Make no mistake about it, persecution was prevalent in the first century. Kings and potentates ruled as they wanted; and what they wanted became law! Those who were aligned to such nations – and visitors who wandered in – found themselves bound by those laws whether they wished to be or not.

Rebellion was as prevalent as those ungodly laws! (Perhaps we can understand that somewhat from our own childhood!) Thus, when laws were disobeyed, punishments flourished – not only upon citizens but upon any and all, regardless of their nation of origin.

Ultimately, as the believers grew in number, sensing that they did not know all they needed to know about the LORD and His Word, Paul was found and urged to explain what they needed to know. And that’s where “the disciples were first called Christians (Χριστιανός).”

With so many claiming to be Christians, it’s becoming more difficult by the day to know what “being a Christian” truly is! So many march under the same flag while ignoring the Person and spiritual principles that are biblically defined as “Christian.” In the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk, numerous persons have called themselves “Christians.” Yet, their distance from pure Biblical doctrine certainly identifies them otherwise.

If we would truly be known as “Christians,” we must live according to the Biblical principles which Christ Himself established and by which He lived. Otherwise, the label affixed to us is no different than that by which non-Christians claim for themselves. It’s more than Charlie Kirk. It’s more than the label of a Christian denomination. It’s the designation of one who follows Jesus!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all that we need,

until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom