The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Joshua 24:13-15, “I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’
14 “Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.
15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Are you grateful for the things you have? Are you grateful for the things that have been given to you? How truly grateful are you? If we are thoroughly honest, most of the time we think that we deserve what we have. Thus, I can only imagine what was going through the collective minds of the Israelites.

Joshua had gathered Israel together to remind them that what they possessed had come from the LORD. Their possessions had not become theirs because of their manual labor. The LORD had brought them across the Red Sea and had given them everything they possessed! Now, they faced a major choice: would they follow and serve the LORD, or were they going to serve the gods of the Amorites?

Our choice today is even more difficult than theirs! The Israelites had lived and served under Amorite gods. What benefit did they derive from those gods? Were they better off with or without the Amorite gods? Joshua could not cast their ballots for them! He could only advise them; yet, he sought to encourage them by his example: “…as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

Would you be sufficiently courageous to say that and mean it? You could lose much or most of what you have acquired by not serving the LORD. Yet, one day you will weigh in the balances what the world has given you versus what the LORD has given you. Believe me, dear friend, the time for the commitment of your life to Jesus Christ has come. One day, we will all stand before Him and give account of our stewardship. Trust Him today! Surrender your will to Him today! You will never regret it.

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,

Psalm 95:1-8, “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
3 For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods,
4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also.
5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you
would hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts…”

I was moving into the realm of adulthood before I recognized music as a true activity of worship! Sadly, some have yet to assess music as a primary means of expressing joy to the LORD! The churches our family attended all expressed worship through singing and the playing of musical instruments. I’m not certain, however, that it always expressed “joy” or was “to the LORD” or was rendered in a spirit of thanksgiving.

Church music leaders often do their best to insure that music is worship-oriented, but the spiritual aspect ultimately lies in the heart of the participant. For that to occur, we all must recognize the greatness of Almighty God and allow our hearts shout in praise to His Name.

While many give allegiance to a variety of gods, our LORD God is “above all gods.” He alone created the heights and depths of our planet Earth. By His strength and from His love, He brought forth His Son, Jesus, who then became the Father’s Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. It is the only means of man’s redemption; and It is inconceivable that anyone would fail to trust Him.

Come and worship the LORD; bow down;
Humble yourself before your Maker…
For He is your God, and you are His creation…
Hear and obey His voice today; do not harden your heart.

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,

Hebrews 1:1-5, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”? And again, “I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME’?”

It is curious, that some young people. who are quite pleasant and speak freely about themselves, their work, their homes, even some of their friends, curiously, never mention their parents or any close relationships. It seems strange that they make no mention of their parents or any siblings.

Paul notes that God spoke to the Hebrew fathers by way of the prophets, and has spoken to us by way of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the Son, who created the world and is heir to all things. The Son radiates the glory of the Father and keeps everything He created working “by the Word of His power,” just as He planned.

At this point, the apostle reveals that the Father’s Son purifies us from sin. Our irreverent thoughts and actions that offend the Father are now able to be whisked away through the Self-sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ. That is precisely why Jesus came. He taught us what we needed to know about Himself, the Father and ourselves. Then, having completed His work, “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

In every way, the Father’s Son is better than the angels; and the Father has given Him a majestic name. The Son is willing to share of His Redemptive power with all who will turn from sin and become united with Him. Have you turned from sin and become personally affiliated with Jesus Christ by faith? It is all so simple, yet many hesitate to affiliate with Him because they want to do their own thing and go their own way. For those who turn away from Him, there will be an eternity of deep regret. “Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart” (Heb. 3:8, 15; 4:7).

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,

Isaiah 12:1-6, “Then you will say on that day, ‘I will give thanks to You, O LORD; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me.
2 ‘Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.’
3 Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation.
4 And in that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember that His name is exalted.’
5 Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; let this be known throughout the earth.
6 Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

These six verses comprise all of Isaiah, chapter 12. It seems needless to say that it is a continuation of the prophet’s thought in the previous chapters – chapters where he prophetically embraced the Coming of the LORD with the blessings that would attend it. At the same time, however, Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the first coming also encompasses Christ’s Second Coming, although in all probability, he never possessed an inkling of the Second Coming that we await.

The initial coming of the Christ-Child would result in His sacrificial death and resurrection, whereby He would become the Savior of all who would believe upon Him and commit to Him as LORD and Savior. Thereafter, that trust would “joyously draw water from the springs of salvation,” causing the saved to give thanks to the LORD and make known His works to all people. His people will then “remember that His Name is (to be) exalted.”

We praise and exalt the LORD Jesus Christ when we trust Him. We praise Him when we yield ourselves to His will and share Him with others. There is no greater joy than to hear someone say, “I prayed in trust to Jesus and my life is now committed to Him.” Is your life committed to Him? Joy awaits you when it is! You are in my prayers!

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,

Isaiah 11:10-12, “Then in that day the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, who will stand as a signal for the peoples; and His resting place will be glorious.
11 Then it will happen on that day that the Lord will again recover the second time with His hand. the remnant of His people, who will remain, from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
12 And He will lift up a standard for the nations and assemble the banished ones of Israel, and will gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”

Did you ever start telling an adventure you had encountered and just couldn’t quit? It was a true, but almost unbelievable story. Yet, those to whom you were relating it were hanging on every word; and that simply encouraged you to keep on sharing the story.

That’s where the prophet Isaiah is in our verses above. His account started with Jesus, who was in Isaiah’s time called “the stem (relative) of Jesse.” Jesus was in the lineage of Jesse, who was the father of David, who later became king of Israel.

The verses we covered yesterday had moved us along to the time when Jesus will rule the world in what we know as the Millennium, the 1000 year reign of peace on the earth. It’s at that point that the LORD will reach out to recover the remnant of the Jewish people, who are scattered throughout the earth. Today we have some notable Jewish people who have come to know Jesus as their LORD and Savior. Others are sensing that there is more to Christ Jesus than they had previously thought.

You can get ahead of this timeframe by accepting Him now! You don’t have to be Jewish to be saved.

I visited my doctor this past week, where I learned that I could do some things to help myself physically. I didn’t understand all the doctor said, but I understood enough to get started –and it’s working! You may not understand all I’m trying to share with you now; but if you start by doing what the Scripture says, you can get a headstart on the amazing things to come! The loss is for those who don’t follow Biblical instruction. God bless you, as you reach for the Book and learn of the LORD Jesus Christ.

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