The Grands Letter

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

Dear Grands,

Genesis 24:22-28, “When the camels had finished drinking, the man took a gold ring weighing a half-shekel and two bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels in gold,

23 and said, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room for us to lodge in your father’s house?”

24 She said to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Milcah, whom she bore to Nahor.”

25 Again she said to him, “We have plenty of both straw and feed, and room to lodge in.”

26 Then the man bowed low and worshiped the LORD.

27 He said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master; as for me, the LORD has guided me in the way to the house of my master’s brothers.”

28 Then the girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things.”

If you’ve ever lost your way, say in a large and strange city, you have experienced something of the “feeling” Abraham’s servant must have felt when he discovered he had been led of the LORD to the right place and, possibly, to the right girl for his master, Isaac. He was pretty sure, however, because he asked if there was sufficient room for him to lodge there while he completed his mission.

Interestingly, too (and there are multiple interesting aspects to this experience), is the fact that this is the first of 435 mentions of some form of the word “truth” in the Scriptures. Further, when we are commissioned and share the truth, we become excited and thankful when we discover that He has faithfully led us in it. Thus, the servant lost no time in bowing before the LORD and giving thanks for His faithful direction and for the discovery of the precise girl for a wife for his master.

When was the last time the LORD answered your earnest and sincere prayer? Did you thank Him? If not, why not thank Him right now? He is infinitely more important than what you sought from His hand!

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,

Romans 13:10-14, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

Time is running out! That is the essence of Paul’s word to the Roman Christians. So often we know what we ought to do but put it off thinking that we have plenty of time to do it. “NO!” Paul says, “Wake up! Wake up now!” There’s not as much time as we think! Whatever in life is needing attention, attend to it now!

Are there not multiple things we have intended to do but put them off in favor of other things? Certainly, there are: things we’ve borrowed from neighbors – a rake, a hose, a book, multiple things. Yet, these things pale in comparison to spiritual things. That lost person with whom we’ve been meaning to share.

People die – people with whom we’ve been intending to share Christ. But it’s too late now. Their name is listed in the obituaries. A phone call, a letter, something that showed how much we cared! But now, it’s too late.

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

Nehemiah 9:10-15, “Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and all the people of his land; For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them, And made a name for Yourself as it is this day.

11 “You divided the sea before them, so they passed through the midst of the sea on dry ground; and their pursuers You hurled into the depths, like a stone into raging waters.

12 “And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day, and with a pillar of fire by night To light for them the way In which they were to go.

13 “Then You came down on Mount Sinai, and spoke with them from heaven; you gave them just ordinances and true laws, good statutes and commandments.

14 “So You made known to them Your holy sabbath, and laid down for them commandments, statutes and law, through Your servant Moses.

15 “You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger, You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst, And You told them to enter in order to possess The land which You swore to give them.”

My maternal grandmother was a superb cook! I mean no criticism of my late wife or my mother, but there were few, if any, equals and none better than my grandmother. What’s more, she wasted nothing! Uneaten leftovers that I would have given to my dog were carefully retrieved and miraculously transformed into superb edibles for the next meal. Of course, grandmothers of that era had survived a depression and knew firsthand the value of what I simply thought of as “scraps.”

In a sense, the State of the Union Address that our President delivers annually is an assessment of our care for what remains to be utilized by the citizens of our nation.

Of course, there’s more to his assessment than the monetary. Moreover, we are responsible to the LORD for how we treat His provisions. We must ever and always be thankful; never be wasteful; and always be grateful for His goodness!

As you listened to our President’s Address last night, I trust you were thankful for him. Pray for him daily. I have it on good authority that Donald Trump is a born-again believer in our LORD Jesus Christ. Yet, as a newly born baby has to grow physically, so we believers have to grow spiritually. Do we, as true believers, ever do or say things that we oughtn’t? Of course, we do. Therefore, we must ask for forgiveness for our sin and be tolerant of others, who may not be as “old” in Christ as we are. Forgive us, LORD; and may our lives ever reveal Your Life to those about us.

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