The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 30:5-9, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
7 Two things I asked of You, do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion,
9 That I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”

Some days ago I asked if you had ever attended a court of law. These verses speak of just such an event. Law courts require the work of a number of persons, who are not witnesses. There are clerks, attorneys, jurors, guards– people who labor to assist the judge and other court personnel; yet they are not the ones who ultimately determine the outcome of the court’s findings.

It is the Scripture alone that assures us that “every Word of God is tested” for its purity; thus, the LORD becomes its protective “…shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Sportsmen often wear heavy helmets to protect their heads from injury. Yet, in a court of law, helmets like that are of little-to-no use at all. Some physical things are useful in court, but almost nothing of a physical nature examines the validity of one’s speech.

In normal life, however, numerous things speak to the validity (and
invalidity) of one’s words. Attitudes and facial expressions often say more than we know and often more that we want others to know. Still, the LORD knows and supports the way of the righteous.

The cry of the righteous is two-fold: 1) Keep deception and lies far from me; and 2) don’t treat me as rich or impoverished; just keep me fed with
the food that is daily allotted to me. I will rest my case with the LORD.

Can you truthfully testify to all-of-the-above? If so, “…the LORD is your strength and say; a very present help in time of trouble.” If you cannot testify that the LORD is your “strength and stay,” you need to seriously examine your relationship with the LORD. His Hands extend to you along
with His loving, forgiving spirit. Trust Him! He will be your enabler!

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,

Proverbs 30:10-14, “Do not slander a slave to his master, or he will curse you and you will be found guilty.
11 There is a kind of man who curses his father and does not bless his mother.
12 There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, yet is not washed from his filthiness.
13 There is a kind– oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance.
14 There is a kind of man whose teeth are like swords and his jaw teeth like knives, to devour the afflicted from the earth and the needy from among men.”

Asssuming that Solomon is the author of these verses, we surely must
give him credit for understanding the ways and means of people around
him. Dr. Irving L. Jensen gives us additional insight when he writes,

“Solomon was a unique character in many ways;
he was musician, poet, botanist, zoologist, business-
man, administrator, and king…His wisdom was a direct
gift from God….The proverbs are God’s detailed instruc-
tions and exhortations to His people concerning their
thought-and-deed life. Much of the book is addressed
especially to young people…The proverbs are mainly
about personal ethics, not as the sinner’s way to God,
but as the believer’s walk with God on this earth…. The
counsel of Proverbs is profitable for all people –saved
and unsaved—but the unsaved do not gain salvation by attempting to perform its good deeds” (cf. Eph. 2:8-9).
(Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament (p. 291).

Certainly, neither Dr. Jensen nor I are emphasizing good deeds instead
of a clear and conscientious faith in the LORD Jesus Christ. Yet, I’m sure
we have both witnessed those who argue for their “good deeds” as the
key to unlocking the door to Heaven and Eternal Life. The simple truth,
however, is not what we think; it’s what God says that counts!

Have you honestly been born again in Christ Jesus? It’s not the life you
live that opens that door; it’s your faith and trust in Christ’s death and resurrection. If you’ve never asked Him to save you, you’re clearly not saved. Still, the asking is more than saying, “Pass the potatos, please.” It’s a commitment somewhat like a military requirement, only much more
secure. It a one-time commitment and it lasts forever! Say a simple prayer and ask Jesus to save you. You’ll experience a difference! Then tell a friend what you’ve received. They can receive Him, too; and you
can help them do it! God bless 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,

Proverbs 30:5-9, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
7 Two things I asked of You, do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion,
9 That I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God.”

Who can we believe these days? Recently, a friend sent me the following:

“I just got a call from a 304 area code. Thinking it was someone I knew in WV, I answered. It was a man claiming to be from ‘customer service’ (didn’t say what company, only ‘customer service’). The first thing he asked was ‘Can you hear me?’
I remembered something I saw on Facebook saying people are calling and asking if you can hear them, then using the recording of your “Yes” reply as a way to sign you up for all kinds of stuff. So, I replied ‘I hear you,’ to which he again asked ‘so you can hear me?’
“Me: I hear you.
Him: I just need a ‘yes’ or ‘no.”
Me: I hear you.’ And the caller hangs up.”

We live in a day when everything needs to be tested. Our text says, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”

Television is rife with so-called “pastors” today, who misuse and misapply God’s Holy Word! Men and women, claiming to be “called of God,” are omitting His truth and subsituting their erroneous views in its place. It could go without saying –but we won’t let it!– that the LORD views with utter contempt those who are engaged in such ventures!

As in our openning text, the writer of Proverbs says, “Keep deception and lies far from me…that I not…profane the name of my God” (vv. 8-9).

It is wise not to believe everything one hears. The Apostle John says, “God is true” and “…He whom God has sent speaks the words of God…”
(Jn. 3:33-34). It is on the Words of the LORD that man will one day be judged. It’s best that we get prepared now by eliminating words that are not His, but are intentionally injected by others.

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,

Psalm 107:1-9, “Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; they did not find a way to an inhabited city.
5 They were hungry and thirsty; their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them also by a straight way, to go to an inhabited city.
8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!
9 For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”

The promises of the LORD are true and dependable. For those who seek
to learn of Him, the Bible is the only true and dependable source. Have you ever wondered about the verses and their numbers, as they appear in the Word of God? Were they original with the Bible? Did God Himself number the verses?

When the Bible was originally organized, there were no chapters or verses; it was organized much like all books of that time. In AD 1228, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langdon, organized the Bible into
chapters. In AD 1551, Robert Stephens divided the chapters into verses.

Gutenburg made the first printing of the Bible in AD 1455. And about AD 1571, a man named Montanus, numbered the verses for the Geneva Bible –the Bible that was brought to “the New World” on the Mayflower.

What is more interesting still is that with all the human hands that were involved, the LORD protected the Scriptures from all human error. And
what rises to a more important status than all of these historical facts are the spiritual truths the Bible contains; for it is these truths that lead us into a faith in Jesus Christ and lay the foundation for every generation.

When we’re sad, we turn to the Bible. When we’re fearful, we turn to the
Bible. According to www.biblica.com , the New Testament has now been translated into 1551 languages; and the complete Word of God (Old and New Testament) is available today in more than 700 languages.

There’s no book like the Bible! It contains truths that will alter your life
completely and for the better! Start reading today! God will bless 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,

Mark 13:11-18, “When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
13 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
14 “But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
15 “The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house;
16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat.
17 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
18 “But pray that it may not happen in the winter.”

It’s interesting to observe how winter affects people. I remember the
dear people of North Vietnam racing south as fast as possible with their little children in the effort to escape the war that raged in their country.
Some of them were battling cold weather, too.

I’m not “up on” how things are in Vietnam these days, although I did hear
that Franklin Graham had been allowed in the area for the purpose of
bringing the Gospel to those dear people. Does that seem strange to you
that a thoroughly Communist country that imprisons some of our military
would allow the Gospel to be proclaimed on their soil?

Recently, there has been a huge rally of people in Africa that have come
to faith in Jesus Christ. Why would these non-Christian political leaders
allow these crusades in their land? It just may be that the LORD is allowing these people to come to faith in Christ before Christ Himself
comes to gather His own unto Himself?

Dear Reader, there are some very strange things occurring currently in
our world! We may be closer than we think to the Coming of our LORD
Jesus Christ! It is imperative that we be ready! Study the Scriptures,
especially the New Testament. Engage in serious prayer. Confess your
sins to Jesus and ask His forgiveness! Get into a Bible-believing, professing church where you will find encouragement from other believers, both on and off of the platform. Time is rushing by! It is rushing to the end, as well. Be prepared! Don’t allow anyone to hinder you. Look
for the Coming of the LORD! He will come just when you think He won’t.
Be prepared is the watchword!

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