The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Proverbs 1:11-19, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom
and instruction.
8 Hear, my son, your father’s instruction And do not forsake your mother’s teaching;
9 Indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head And ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood, Let us ambush the innocent without
cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth, We will fill our houses with spoil;
14 Throw in your lot with us, We shall all have one purse,”
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path,
16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood; They ambush their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.”
Anyone who reads and discerns the wisdom of these verses, has only himself to blame if he ignores their wisdom. The LORD gives parents to every child in order that he might know how to conduct himself acceptably. Parents, too, are responsible for the attitude and conduct of their children; furthermore, parental honor itself comes from the deportment of their children.
Godly parents discern the LORD’s desired conduct from reading His Word. They then advise their own children accordingly. They also recall their own parents’ advice and the difficulties they themselves encountered when they ignored their parents’ counsel.
The evil anticipation of the rowdies considers only the “gains” from their nefarious exploits. They have not considered that those with “precious wealth” may indeed have it well guarded. And the comment that “we shall all have one purse” is merely a scheme to employ more in the activity. Rest assured that the one putting forth the idea will absolutely lay claim to most of the booty.
Such plans always have their origin in evil. Furthermore, evil schemes result in the loss of life for everyone who plans to gain by violence. “Good understanding produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard” (Pro. 13:15). Parents have a heavy responsibility; yet, their lives overflow with joy when they see godly results in the lives of their children.

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

Psalm 62:8-12, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.
9 Men of low degree are only vanity and men of rank are a lie; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than breath.
10 Do not trust in oppression and do not vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
11 Once God has spoken; twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God;
12 And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, for You recompense a man according to his work.”

Dear Grands,

The LORD God can always be trusted! His eternal love for those whom He created never lessens. We can always and in every circumstance call upon Him, and He will forever be our refuge and strength.

The one caveat –the one factor of which we must be aware—is that we are living
according to His will. Selah means “stop and think about that.” Are we living as He desires? Have we confessed the wrong in our lives, so as to be right with Him? Selah

The psalmist compares the men of low degree with the men of rank. Some men
view themselves as greater than they are. They are viewed as worthy by others when they are not. When weighed in the balances, both go up” because they weigh nothing of value. Thus, we are warned neither to trust in oppression” or to “hope in robbery.” Such “riches” will ultimately come to nothing of value.

“Power,” –ability, wealth— “belongs to God” alone! He repays such to those who deserve it. Still, it is only rewarded to those who “work” according to His will.

Is your life being lived according to His will? What might He want from you that you have yet to yield to Him? –maybe your life?

Heartily in Christ,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Exodus 12:21-24, “Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to

them, ‘Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the

Passover lamb.

22 ‘You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin,

and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two

doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

23 ‘For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the

blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door

and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you.

24 ‘And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children

forever.’”

Instructions are important. If your doctor instructs you to take two of a certain

pill three times a day, it’s not the same as taking three pills twice a day. You may

not understand the difference, but there probably is one! So, follow the

instructions!

The elders of Israel may not have understood why Moses told them to slay the

lambs; still, it was essential to the ultimate plan that they do as instructed. The

key was the blood of the lambs. Moses himself possibly did not understand that

in the centuries to come, the Lamb of God – Jesus Christ — would surrender His

Life on the Cross, shedding His Blood for the remission of our sins!

As the Egyptians were slain, Israel was freed from Egyptian slavery. As Jesus

gave His blood in death on the Cross, you and I (and millions throughout the

centuries) were afforded the opportunity to be forgiven of their sins –all through

the Blood of Jesus Christ!

Although the promise was originally given to the Jewish nation, when the Jews

rejected the opportunity, it was extended to the Gentiles. Now both Jews and

Gentiles can be forgiven of their sins by confessing Jesus as their LORD and

Savior.

If you have not trusted Jesus’ death and resurrection, you need to do that now!

There will come a time when salvation will not be available, for Jesus is coming

and it will be too late then to be forgiven.

If you have confessed your sins to Christ Jesus, why not share Him with your

other friends – those who have yet to receive Him? Remember, “A friend loveth

at all times” (Prov. 17:17). God bless you!

Heartily in Christ,

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,

Genesis 22:1-5, “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.”

The word “worship” occurs 172 times in the Bible. It becomes something of a “bookend” verse used first in Genesis and later in the Revelation. It’s first usage signaled a recogniition of superiority, when Abraham instructed his servants to wait for his return with Isaac. It was also obviously intended to provoke obedience.

In the New Testament, the word worship is used by the LORD Jesus in a phrase to focus on doctrinal teaching. He quoted Isaiah as He rebuked the Pharisees:

“Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM
ME. 7 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN’” (Mark 7:6-7).

Finally, in the Revelation (22:8-9), the Apostle John says: “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.” At that point, the angel rebuked John saying, ‘Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.’”

The question we face is: do we reverence the LORD as we worship? Today, as we gather in church, may the Holy Spirit urge us to humble ourselves before the LORD Jesus in true, unselfish, unadultrated reveremce before Him. He suffered and died on the Cross for our sins. He truly deserves our heart-felt worship. It’s an attitude that should never escape its display in our lives.
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,

Leviticus 19:15-18, “’You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
16 ‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.
17 ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him.
18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”

There is good and bod to almost everything. Some families like the freedom of living alone in the wide, open spaces; others, find comfort in living close to people in town. Everyone should be free to live where he wants and somewhat as he pleases. Personally, I like classical orchestras. I am not free, however, to play it as loudly as if it were in a concert hall. People who live around me have an equal right to peace and quiet.

The Scripture above was written in Old Testament times for Old Testament people. The principles involved, however, are just as relevant today as when they were written many years ago. Judgment in anything must always be just for everyone. We must never defer to someone simply because he is wealthy anymore than to someone who is poor. True justice treats everyone equally.

Slanderous gossip is strictly forbidden by the LORD! Neighbors may be reproved for doing things that infringe upon the rights of others, but they should never be slandered. They have rights, just as everyone else. Besides, if we have the right to live as we desire, we must grant others the same right. We are no better than our neighbors.

Personally, I have very good neighbors. I only trust that my conduct is as acceptable to them as theirs is to me. If you have difficult neighbors, pray for them and do something nice. The LORD changes people as we pray. Sometimes our prayers even change us!

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