The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Samuel 1:1-2; 10-11, “Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
2 He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children….

10 She (Hannah), greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.
11 She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

Small children hear and grasp a lot of things –many of which are never known to their elders. I can “hear” my maternal grandmother saying to my mother, “They haven’t reckoned with the LORD.”

Hannah was barren because the LORD had closed her womb (1:5). Her husband sought to comfort her, saying that she was more to him than 10 sons. Yet, Hannah’s only recourse was prayer. The result was the birth of a son: Samuel.

Your distress may lie well outside of Hannah’s difficulty. Still, the resolution of all difficulties lies within our prayerful dependence upon the LORD. There is no indication in Scripture whether Peninnah ever prayed for Hannah. Surely, her husband did. Nevertheless, the credit for Samuel’s birth is to be granted to his mother for her fervent and consistent prayers. The LORD hears and answers only prayers that are both earnest and sincere.

Do you spend time in prayer with the LORD? If not, your hope for procuring help
from the LORD is not likely to come. The psalmist said, “Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Trust Him and see.

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,

Ruth 1:15-17, “Then she said, ‘Behold, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.’
16 But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
17 “Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me.’”

Do you have determinations that you will not relinquish? “I have made up my mind and nothing you say is going to change it!” That’s tough talk. Determinations work well with things that are good; but they wrinkle the ironing when they’re things that are not good.

I’m leaving the complete story of this short biblical book for you to read from your Bible; so, I will only say this much here. Famine had struck Judah, and Elimelech moved Naomi and their two sons to Moab. Elimelech then died, leaving Naomi and the boys alone in that foreign land. The boys took wives, Orpah and Ruth, of the Moabite women. Eventually, the boys also died, leaving Naomi alone to return to Bethlehem in Judah.

Ruth strongly determined to stay with Naomi. It was dangerous to be an unprotected woman in those days; so, in the long run, it proved right that she stayed with Naomi. In time, she was to meet and marry Boaz. The vital aspect of her determination was that she converted from the heathen gods of Moab to the true God, Jehovah. The LORD often orchestrates such things in our lives to show Himself more than able to guide and protect us.

Does your life rest in the LORD? He provides for you because He knows what is best for you in every situation. Trust Him! Commit yourself to Him! Let Christ alone be your love and your guide.

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,

Judges 2:13-16, “So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
14 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.
15 Wherever they went, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had spoken and as the LORD had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.
16 Then the LORD raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.”

Valuable lessons may often be learned from watching young children. One child wants to play with the toy that another child has– until that child relinquishes the toy for yet another. At that point, the first child wants the second toy. Selfishness is part of the sin nature.

Man is like that; he waffles back-and-forth in his relationship with Almighty God. Yesterday, the LORD was everything! Today, he’s not so sure. Israel wandered from God for something like 100 years in 450 years of the period of the Judges. We should all know better than to go against God! Israel was “severely distressed!” Yet, the anger of God is no less to us than it was to Israel.

Still, the love of God was and is always contained within His punishments. He raised up judges to govern His unruly, undisciplined people. In the same way, godly parents punish their children; but they always do it in love. The LORD was gracious to give Israel reprieve in their judges. He does the same for us when we acknowledge Him in our personal lives. Have you –do you– acknowledge Him?

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,

Joshua 21:44-45. “And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand.
45 Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.”

Did you ever have someone make a promise to you? Did they keep their promise? Did you ever make a promise to anyone? Did you keep it?

One of the difficult aspects of making a promise is that it is often made without being fully considered. “Oh, I’m not far from there, I can drop it by your house.” Sounds easy, doesn’t it? But, circumstances that work against that promise had not been remembered; thus, the promise went unfulfilled. Now, other promises unknown to you but were based upon your promise now fall through as well. Who is untimately at fault? Everyone risks being blamed.

The primary message of the Book of Joshua is the faithfulness of God! Being omnicient, the LORD has no problem with His promises. He has thougth them through before they are uttered to us in the human realm; and His omnicience is the guarantee that He never forgets. Thus, if we make promises based upon His promises in Scripture, we can trust in their faithfulness. That’s how I can promise you the LORD’s salvation by faith; it’s contained in His Book, the Holy Scriptures.

Will you trust the LORD? Not one of the good promises which the LORD has made has ever failed. Now, as with Joshua, it’s up to you to accept Christ Jesus as your LORD and Savior. My prayer is that you will trust Him.

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,

Deuteronomy 5:31-33, “’But as for you, stand here by Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and the statutes and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I give them to possess.
32 “So you shall observe to do just as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left.
33 “You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess.”

The word “Deuteronomy” literally means “second law.” It is the last of Moses’ five books –the first five books in the Old Testament. Despite the meaning of the Book’s title, it contains no new law. It simply emphasizes the Law previously given.

Repetition is vital to human retention. That’s why students, knowing that a major test is coming, will read and re-read what they believe will be asked. We, too, need to read and re-read the Bible, and for the same reason. We are certain to be tested daily. The principles contained in the Bible are there to guide and control our lives. Jesus Himself used the Scriptures. Understandably, Satan despises it!

The final chapter of the book records the death of Moses. Lee says, “It was a lonely death,” as indeed every death is. It was, nevertheless, “death with a vision” and with “Divine embrace.” That’s the warm embrace of the arms of Jesus, when we trust Him as His “born again” children. Are you one of His “born again” children? You can be! It’s all a matter of trust in His Son.

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