The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 2:8-11, “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
10 But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”

There is no doubt that the shepherds, who first heard the angel’s voice, were Jewish. Yet, there is absolutely no doubt that the message was ultimately intended “for all the people.”

It’s for you! It’s for me! Salvation is the LORD’s Gift –first to the Jewish people—yet, ultimately to all, who will believe upon Him.
The angel that appeared was accompanied with a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men
with whom He is pleased” (Lk. 2:14).

Much of our world lies in disarray! Turmoil rages among nations! Some have intentionally misled all mankind, crying “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace” (Ezk. 13:10).

Those of us who have been led to faith in Jesus Christ now have the responsibility to share His salvation with others! There are but a dozen more days left before CHRISTmas Day! What a joy Christ will bring to those who receive Him as their LORD and their Savior!

Linked at the bottom of this Grands Letter is a Gospel Tract
that will acquaint others with God’s Plan of Salvation. Please
feel free to use it to share Christ Jesus with your friends and
acquaintences. The more joy we share, the more truly joyful
our sorry world will become.

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,

Proverbs 16:16-20, “How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who watches his way preserves his life.
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
19 It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20 He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.”

Someone once asked me how I decide what verses to use in these daily Grands Letters. In one sense, it’s quite easy in that there are multiple passages in the Bible from which one can choose.

On the other hand, it is difficult in that the LORD always makes the final decision. In other words, I pray and simply trust the LORD to direct me in the process.

Looking at the text above, most of us would probably choose gold or silver over wisdom. Look what we could buy with that money! At the same time, look how hard it would be to obtain and use wisdom. Yes, wisdom might assist us in finding gold, but the gold might make us forever resistant to wisdom.

When I think of how pride destroys, I’m always reminded of an instance that stumbled a young preacher I once knew. We were in college and he had been selected to preach in a church on a given Wednesday night. Virtually, all of the students had gone to hear him. He was firey and got off to a good start. Then his humility gave way to pride and he looked at the clock on the wall and said, “Wow, only five minutes gone! We’re really movin’ now!”

At that point, everything went flat. He forgot where he was in his message. He stumbled mentally as he fought furiously to get back on track. Yet, it was all to no avail. A haughty spirit named “pride” had made its way into his message and the LORD had moved off of the stage.

How very important it is that we always give attention to the Word. “He who watches his way preserves his life.” Remember, in all that we do to trust faithfully in the LORD! He has saved us for His purpose. The Message is His and His alone! We are simply privileged to share it with others. Keep a good lookout! There are scores of people who need to know Him! What about 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,

Numbers 15:28-31, “The priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven.
29 ‘You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them.
30 ‘But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.
31 ‘Because he has despised the Word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.'”

Have you ever wondered why there are rules governing the way we live? If you take time to think it through, it’s all a matter of discipline. I never thought of it that way when I was a child. I was simply told to do certain things, and never to do others. Always, I asked why. Sometimes, I was told; but many times, the reply was “because I said so.”

Discipline works like a “fenced-in” area. If you obey, you are ultimately rewarded; if you disobey— well, there is a cost to pay.

Australia does possess a very hot sun! They warned me about it; but, I had lived there sufficiently long to believe my skin had adjusted to it. It had not! I ought to have listened and obeyed.

We’re often like that with the LORD. Fortunately, He allows “the person who goes astray…unintentionally” to be forgiven. If, however, we go astay, believing He will always forgive, we learn that “always” is not His way.

The key to understanding what the LORD is doing is called “discipline.” There are normal physical disciplines in life. There are also spiritual disciplines: 1) Always do this; and 2) Never do that!

The LORD is not playing games with us. He’s working to build us up into His likeness by teaching us to obey His instructions. Think you can do as you like and get away with it? (Don’t forget that hot sun!) He has more specific things, too. He is a righteous God! Were He not, He would care nothing about the direction of our lives.

Solomon stated it clearly:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones” (Prov. 3:5-8).

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,

Exodus 12:15-20, “’Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.
16 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 ‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.
18 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.
19 ‘Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.
20 ‘You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.'”

Well, it’s that season of the year. Athletic Directors are sizing things up and determining what coaches will be rehired and what ones will be let go. When the season is active, you might think that the coach is the one in charge. But if the team isn’t winning, you’ll soon learn that there’s someone higher up than the coach.

Our verses above hardly have to reach back to the commencement of the chapter for us to learn that the LORD is the “AD” and Moses and Aaron are the coaches in charge of seeing that the nation of Israel is instructed to do as the LORD, through Moses and Aaron, directs them.

(So much for those “preachers” today who see nothing of value in the Old Testament! When they exclude the Old, it’s not long before they exclude the New. Better listen up, fellows! Best not to follow them.) Do you follow the directives of your medical advisor regarding perscriptions? It seems like a good idea. Too much of one script might be as harmful as too little of another.

There is no contradition in Scripture! Where there “appears” to be, pastors, who believe in the entirety of the Scriptures, are trained in biblical languages (Hebrew & Greek) and comparative analysis enabling them to guide us in understanding God’s true meaning. If your pastor is not one who clearly defines the Bible’s true meaning, it might be time for you to look for a pastor who does. In the meantime, diligently search the Scriptures! The “game” has begun and you’re on the starting lineup!

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,

Luke 2:40-51, “The Child (Jesus) continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
41 Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
42 And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast;
43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it,
44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.
46 Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”
49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
50 But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.”

Time does things to all of us. It was the same with the boy Jesus. He grew physically, as we would expect; however, He also gained wisdom, the ability to understand and apply the principles of life. All He gained were the enablings of the Father.

Parents who are Godly quite naturally desire their children also to walk in the ways of the LORD. Furthermore, they endeavor that their lives might set a Godly example for their children.

One aspect of Godly living was their annual attendance of the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. The Feast originated in Egypt on the night prior to Israel’s departure (Ex. 12:11). The food was eaten in haste because of the need to quickly escape the Egyptian army.

Israeli homes were to be thoroughly cleansed. Blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of all Israeli dwellings, and on the cross piece above the entrance. Thereafter, this ritual was to be observed annually, as it is in orthodox Jewish homes today. Oh, that we
Christians were as diligent as those we endeavor to evangelize!

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