The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Luke 15:11-16, “And he said, ‘A man had two sons.
12 and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of estate that falls to me.” goods that falleth to me.” So, he divided his wealth between them.
13 And not many days after the younger son gathered everything together, and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
14 “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished.
15 “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
16 “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.”

A lot of sad things occur in the lives of the young and inexperienced. It’s even worse when those things are tied to weak and evil situations. Notice first that this was a “young” man. The young often feel they are neglected in favor of an older brother or sister. This boy was surely one of those.

He had a legal right to the fortune of his father –not to all of it, but some. Yet, he was unwilling to wait for it. Normally, fortunes were not divided until the death of the father. But this boy wanted his portion now! He was not well-schooled at all in how to control spending! So, it disappeared much faster than it had come.

Forced to hire out to a foreigner, he went into the fields to feed swine. The famine he had ignored, now came to rest on his doorstep. He was hungry beyond belief! In fact, he was eager to have what the swine had to eat, and “no one was giving anything to him.”

Are you restless in your spirit? Have you discovered that so much of what the world offers is devoid of satisfaction? Are you filling your life with meaningless “pods”? That’s the way it is when we turn away from our Heavenly Father. Life’s “pods” are both tasteless and unhealthy. We would do well feast at His table, would we not?
Then, why are we not where we ought to be? Who’s to blame?

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,

2 Timothy 4:14-18, “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.
17 But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth.
18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Some years ago, I was preaching in a evangelistic meeting in Virginia. All of the detains are forgotten now, but something I had not planned necessitated my revealing a particular person’s name. After the message, a lady came to me and challenged my having publicly mentioned the person’s name. The LORD immediately reminded me of Alexander the coppersmith and how Paul publicly called him out by name. I cited that situation as my biblical precedent and the conversation was over.

Whether the public mention of someone’s name is the right thing to do is itself debatable; but there is a precedent where the defence of the Scripture is involved. To fail to defend the entirety of the message the LORD has given us, is to leave the Scripture in limbo. In Paul’s case, the Gentiles needed to hear the Gospel, and those who themselves resisted the Gospel did not want others to hear it.

Paul’s confidence rested completely in the LORD. His confidence in the LORD prompted him to glorify Christ Jesus forever and wherever. We must be careful in possessing that same confidence. We must be bold, but only that His Word might be eternally glorified.

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,

2 Timothy 4:9-11, “Make every effort to come to me soon;
10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
11 Only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.”

What do you do when you find yourself in need help? You call for someone to help you, of course. Yet, if you are in the least of doubt that others will view your situation as seriously as you do, you emphasize your need by telling how bereft you are of helpers.

A lot of situations demand the help of capable, willing persons. Precisely what Paul needed, we are not told. We are simply left with the knowledge that there was more to do than could be done by the few helpers Paul had. The situation was critical. What if the only one who is available to help is someone who once let you down? Have you ever changed your mind about someone like that?

Barnabas had long been a companion of Paul. They had travelled through many areas, ministering together in the Gospel of Christ. Previously, John Mark had gone with them, but for some reason, he gave up and left them to carry on alone. Barnabas now wanted Mark to rejoin them in ministry, but Paul was absolutely opposed!

All of that disagreement occurred some years previously; Paul has now changed his mind. “Pick up Mark and bring him with you,” Paul says, “for he is useful to me for service.”

You may have experienced disappointment with someone in the past. You have changed; maybe that person has changed, too. The LORD has a way of changing the minds of His servants and bringing them together once again. Don’t let past experiences ruin your future! Let the experience of Paul and Mark speak to your life. Time and forgiveness are fantastic transformers. We just have to let them work.

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,

2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;
8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

“American hurdler and sprinter Sydney McLaughlin gave glory to God after setting a new world record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, this week.” She says her faith helped lead her to victory.

“Honestly, this season, just working with my new coach and my new support system,” she said, “it’s truly just faith and trusting the process. I couldn’t ask for anything more and truly it is all a gift from God.”

I could not help but notice how closely Miss McLaughlin’s statement paralleled that of the Apostle Paul. Neither of them leaned on themselves; both changed coaches and simply trusted the LORD and what He said in Scripture.

Who is your coach? Are you getting the best coaching in life? You are, if Christ Jesus is your Coach. His “game plan” exceeds all others. He promises victory, but only if you follow His coaching. His Life is the pattern for your course. He gave His Life for you on the Cross, so run it well. Christ Himself is the Righteous Judge. His Coach was His Father. His award is a rich and rewarding Earth-life. His highest award is eternal life with Him throughout eternity!

When do you start training? You’ve already started it. This Letter is here to help get you started. “Believe what Jesus tells us in the Bible. Your trust must be in Jesus alone! He is your only hope of eternal life. I hope you’ve trusted Him! If not, start with this Letter of encouragement! Confess your sins to Him in prayer and believe that He has forgiven them. This attachment will help chart your course. Let me know how it goes, okay?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Pray for our Nation and the other nations of the world, as we approach the end.

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,

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore, comfort one another with these words.”

Did you ever run ahead of yourself and become hopelessly confused? I sure have. Remember that children’s story about the turtle and the hare? They ran a race. The hare (rabbit) was so fast that he took out time for a nap. And while he was sleeping, the turtle, although moving much slower, passed him and crossed the finish line first.

In a similar, but much more important situation, some people become confused about who will “win the race” when the LORD Jesus returns for believers in the Rapture. Paul is careful to remind us that the Word of the LORD teaches that those who have died and are in the grave when Jesus returns will be lifted up ahead of those who are living. What’s of vital importance, however, is not “who is first,” but who will meet Him and be taken into Heaven. For those who have died without having trusted Christ will not rise to meet Him at all.

Over the years, I’ve learned that some things are far more important than others. I don’t really care whether we follow Christ one-by-one, like students, lining up for lunch at school, or whether we are grouped in a semicircle. I’ll just be content to be one among the many that the LORD takes with Him.

That event will be one of GLORY! The archangel will shout the shout of victory, his voice reverberating throughout the universe! The trumpet of God will split the heavens as it signals the Victory of the LORD Jesus! And those of us who meet the LORD in the air have the assurrance that we will be with Him forever!

Death leads to Heaven for the ones believing in Christ. Death leads to Hell for those who failed to trust in Him. Jesus wants everyone to be with Him. We must only repent (change our minds) and believe in Him and we will be ready to meet Him in the air. Are you ready? Are your friends ready? You can be; and then you can help your friends to know Him. It’s by far the most important matter you can accomplish in this life!

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