The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Exodus 2:11-14, “Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13 He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, ‘Why are you striking your companion?’
14 But he said, ‘Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?’ Then Moses was afraid and said, ‘Surely the matter has become known.’”

Sometimes things take an unexpected turn. We engage in things we think will never be known, only to discover that those things have indeed become known! It’s even worse when we accuse someone of doing something less offensive than what we’ve done.

This is precisely what occurred with Moses. Although he was trained in Egyptian schools, and was probably thought of as an Egyptian by some of their own, Moses was an Israelite; and when he witnessed an Egyptian supervisor laying a whip on the back of his countryman, he instinctively reacted as one would expect. But Moses went too far. He killed the Egyptian and buried him out of sight.

The next day Moses saw two Hebrews fighting each other. Acting instinctively again, he chastized his own countrymen for fighting. If he thought he was in charge, he was greatly mistaken, because the two Hebrews turned on him! But it was more than that. They had either witnessed the slaying or discovered the body of the man he killed.

There’s an old idiom that says, “You can’t do wrong and get by.” Somewhere, sometime, someone saw you do it. Years may even have passed before your involvement comes to light. But it will come to light! Best not to believe that you will escape notice; for even if you do with man, the LORD has witnessed it; and you will ultimately be brought to His justice.

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,

Matthew 2:9-12, “After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.”

The magi were often called “wise men.” In fact, they were! They were wise because they sought the Christ Child; they were wiser when they found Him; and they were wisest after having believing in Him. How wise are you? Have you found Him? Are you trusting Him?

The star the magi followed led them directly to the Son of God. Your “star” might be a friend, who has shared the Good News of Christ with you. There are innumerable “stars” at the LORD’s disposal that can guide you into a life of faith in Him. The Bible itself is the chief guide. Reading it and believing it will not lead you astray. The magi never sought to improve on the star; nor can we improve on the Scriptures. What we can do is improve on reading and believing them!

The treasures the magi brought to the Child Jesus were practical as well as symbolic. Gold was the metal of kings. It signified their recognition of Jesus as the King of the Jews. It later served His earthly family well when they fled to Egypt. Frankincense was a “vegetable resin” that served well as fumigation for sacrifices.

Myrrh, meaning “bitter,” was a gum resin from a tree. It was used as perfume and as one of the ingredients of the holy anointing oil for the priests, as well as for embalming of the dead. Each of these gifts recognized the distinctions of the Christ in His earthly life of 33 years.

Interesting, too, is how the magi, after attending to their responsibilities in honoring the LORD Jesus, faded into history. We have no mention of them anywhere beyond the Scriptures. You may never be noticed for your witness of Him. That’s not important. What is important is that you know Him personally and live according to His instruction in Scripture. Start now in meeting this new year with an earnest endeavor to read His Word daily and live accordingly. Pray for others! Encourage them to pray for you! Jesus is Coming and we want to be “wise” in accomplishing His instructions before He comes!

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,

Genesis 22:1-2 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.”

Revelation 22:14-15, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have
the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.
15 Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers
and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.

The word “love” is mentioned some 740 times in the whole of Scripture. It’s possibly the most used word at Christmas time. Yet, like all words, its importance lies in how it’s used and also by whom. In Genesis, it is recorded that Abraham loved his son Isaac; thus, the LORD tested Abraham to see if he loved (????? aheb) and trusted Him more than his son.

Love is also mentioned in a negative sense in the Revelation verses above. There the Word speaks of loving and practicing lying, things we ought not to do.

The Biblical Dictionary says, “While the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘love’ have various shades and intensities of meaning, they may be summed up in some such definition as this: Love, whether used of God or man, is an earnest and anxious desire for and an active and beneficent interest in the well-being of the one loved.” In other words, we must have the other person’s interest in view above that of our own if we are to call it love.

There are three basic Greek words that translate “love”: ?????? agapao, the divine love that Christ Jesus had for us when He died on the Cross for our sins. Trench says that agape is “a word born within the bosom of revealed religion.” Closely aligned with agape is ????? phileo, which expresses affection for another person.

The third word for “love” is eros, sensual passion. It falls fully outside of everything pure. Trench speaks forcefully when he says, “I observe in conclusion that eros… never occurs in the New Testament (and) there is no trace of it in any heathen writer whatever.” Some words lie not only outside the realm of Holy Scripture, but completely outside of historical literature.

It’s unfortunate that English has but one word for love. We use the same word in reference to things holy and things unholy. God’s Love, however, is always pure. So, when we speak of “love, it should always be in the context of purity. “God loved us and sent His Son.”

Think about the purity of Jesus Christ in contrast to your own life. You long to be pure, and you can be. Just confess your impurity to Christ and He will wash you clean. 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,

John 1:1-5, 9-13, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that
has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know
Him.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even
to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Nothing existed before God. The Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit together comprise God. This passage tells us that Jesus is the Word, and

“…although He existed in the form of God, (He) did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped (retained), but emptied Himself, taking
the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8).

Yes, there are those who have refused to accept Jesus as the true Son of God. Yet, those
who do believe in Him, and accept His Sacrifice of Himself on the Cross for their sins, live
their lives in peace with confidence in His Resurrection from the dead.

This is HIS DAY! What’s more, it can be your day as well. Pray this simple prayer; pray it
in faith. Jesus is the Light and He will drive darkness from you!

“Dear LORD, I have sinned against you, and I am sorry. Thank You for
dying on the Cross for my sins. Please forgive me of my sins and make
me one of your children. Take over the reigns of my life that it may glorify
You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.”

Now, just trust Jesus as you would a surgeon who was going to operate on you! Believe that
He heard your prayer; thank Him for saving you from sin. Start reading the Bible, so that you
can learn of Him. His Holy Spirit now resides in you and will guide your conscience to live
according to His will. God bless you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

P. S. If you prayed this prayer and are no trusting Jesus as your LORD and Savior,
please write me and share your commitment. I will not share your name. That’s
for you to do, when your friends want to know what’s happened to you.

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

Dear Grands,

John 3:14-18, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

I have always been quite out-spoken. I won’t mention the names of any of my ancestors, but there were some from whom I undoubtedly “inherited” that trait. I have not always been correct in my assessment of things, but no one could ever say that it was impossible to know what I believed.

The people of God –those whom He had led out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land—“spoke against God and Moses…” (Num. 21). It’s often easy to forget how blessed we are with our leaders! The Israelites had plenty of food and water, but they tired of the same old food; so, they criticized Moses and the LORD! There was a penalty for such criticism; and the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people –serpents that bit people and caused them to die. Now, they are in a dilemma! They need the LORD they criticized and they need His servant, Moses!

What the LORD commanded, Moses obediently produced. He made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole, allowing the people to repent. When they saw other suffer death, they appealed to Moses for help. Isn’t that the way it always works? The ones we criticize are the only ones on whom we can count to help us.

The brazen serpent on the pole typified the coming Messiah, Jesus, who was sacrificed on the Cross for our sins. Now, the Apostle John tells us that our only means of forgiveness is to look to the Savior, Jesus Christ, who died in our place on that cross. Have you looked to Him in faith for salvation? If not, why not? And, if you have, you are now deputized as a witness to others that by believing on Christ Jesus, they, too, will be saved! Just think: every Christmas hereafter, you will not only remember the Savior’s birth, you will remember your own spiritual birth in Him that came by simple faith. God bless you! And may this CHRISTmas be your best ever!

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