The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 145:17-21, “The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.
20 The LORD keeps all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”

“Why don’t you just pray about it?” That’s the quick and usual response a believer receives from a friend when he is facing a perplexing problem. It is also true that the LORD is always available and willing to help believers in their time of need.

Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with encouraging a fellow-believer to bring a difficult problem to the LORD. That kind of encouragement honors the LORD, who says He always stands ready to help His people in their time of need.

Jesus said, “”Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

It is encouraging when a fellow-believer comes alongside of you to help in every way he is able. Quite often, the problems we face are not as difficult as we first think. Still, every problem we face requires a solution. There’s only One Person who can solve our problems.

There’s an old song that gives some sound direction:

Where could I go? Oh, where could I go?
Seeking a refuge for my soul;
Needing a friend, to help me in the end,
Where could I go but to the Lord?

The LORD is righteous and kind. Furthermore, He is near –nearer than you think. He’s approachable! He’s kind and loving and always desires to help. But, we have to call upon Him for His help.

Whatever your current need is (and we all have current needs), He stands
ready with loving power that is available nowhere else. Take it to Him in prayer. Believe in Him for a resolution. Then, rejoice over His assistance!
And don’t forget to say, “Thanks!”

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.”

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