The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Zechariah 8:7-8, 16-17, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west;
8 and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.’
16 “These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates.
17 ‘Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the LORD.”

The theme of the Book of Zechariah is “God’s Love and Care for His People.” The book itself was written about 520-518 B.C. So, if you were born in A.D.1948, you entered this physical world along with the fulfillment of one of the most exciting prophecies in world history! The first two verses above (vv. 7-8) were God’s promise to the nation of Israel; and it was fulfilled in 1948 when Israel officially became a nation.

When the LORD makes a promise, He fulfills it! His will cannot be broken and He possesses the necessary power to bring it to pass. The Jewish nation was prophesied to settle in Israel, and so they did!

At the same time, the LORD gave prophetic instruction that His people were to “speak truth to one another” in their daily dealings, as well as in legal procedures when legal judgments were necessary. Nor were the people to devise evil to exercise against their fellowmen.

The LORD’s promises are sure and certain. What He promises in Scripture, He fulfilles, giving us assurance that all of His promises, even those yet to be fulfilled, will indeed be fulfilled in His appointed time. Stay in the Word! Trust and claim His promises for yourself. He does all things exceedingly well.

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,

Haggai 1:3-7, “Then the word of the LORD came by Haggai the prophet, saying,
4 “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while this house lies desolate?”
5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!
6 “You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes.”
7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Consider your ways!”

In Old Testament times, the “House of the LORD” was a physical structure. That is not so today. While we often speak of the “church” as being a physical structure, the true “church” is comprised of the people who belong to the LORD. This often leads us to misunderstand passages of Scripture like the passage above. Thus, we need to view Scripture in the timeframe in which it was written, but understand its principle as related to our own time.

“Consider your ways!” Haggai scolded the Jewish people of his day for living in luxurious homes, but neglecting the physical House of the LORD. The principle meaning of this passage to us requires a consideration of how much time and money we spend on ourselves compared with how much time and/or money we invest in the ministry of the LORD’s work at home and overseas.

When the LORD says, “Consider your ways,” He is provoking a measurement of what we most love and treasure: the souls of lost ones or our material possessions? Dr. Vern Poythress states,

If we are concerned for unbelievers as whole people and not just narrowly
worried about debating points, we should try to think about how we can
explain to them that they will never come to know the truth rightly without
communion with God… communion (that) comes through Christ. We should
indicate the Christ of whom we speak is the Christ who is described in the
Bible and who reveals himself in the Bible. So the Bible ought to come into
the discussion as we try to rescue unbelieving philosophers from their
suppression of the truth and their rebellion against God.

Well, are we concerned? If we truly are, we must prepare by arming ourselves with Scripture that is smothered in loving prayer. We would undoubtedly be amazed at how many lost people wonder why we Christians are not eager to share Christ with them. Yet, before we challenge the lost to “consider their ways,” we would do well to consider our own. Where do you find yourself standing as you consider your ways?

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,

Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8, “Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD’S wrath; and all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth….”
8 “Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “for the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal.”

Were you ever jealous? Is God ever jealous? Yes, He is! And He has every right to be. Why? Because He is the Creator-Sustainer God. All things are His because He made them. But you and I don’t have rights like He has. In fact, the theme of this book of Zephaniah is The LORD’s Jealousy.

Thus, in the second verse above, the LORD reveals His hatred of pride in man and the vile things in which mankind engages. He actually details what He is going to do in response to man’s sin. Oh, lookout when God gets angry! The most gigantic storms of His wrath lie well beyond our human imagination. Lamentations 2:22 reads as follows:

“You called as in the day of an appointed feast My terrors on every side;
and there was no one who escaped or survived In the day of the LORD’S
anger…”

Get it straight, my friend. God is a God of love, mercy and forgiveness; yet, He is a God of frightful anger when we, His people, live outside the spiritual boundaries He has set for us in His Word. Historically, godly men have died to preserve the Word of God. We had best learn about God before that dreadful Day of the LORD falls upon us! We’re in big enough trouble as it is!

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,

Habakkuk 1:1-5, “The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet saw. How long, O LORD, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ Yet, You do not save.
3 Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; strife exists and contention arises.
4 Therefore, the law is ignored and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted.
5 “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days– you would not believe if you were told.
6 “For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places which are not theirs.
7 “They are dreaded and feared; their justice and authority originate with themselves.”

It’s hardly a stretch to say that you and I have questioned the LORD regarding our day as precisely as Habakkuk did regarding his day. Have we not prayed for things that have yet to appear? Habakkuk was concerned for his people. He prayed, calling on the LORD for help; yet, the LORD had not come to his assistance. Violence raged in the streets, yet the LORD did not deliver the innocent from the harm of the guilty. Why did He not?

Laws were in place, but they were ignored. Justice had long before abandoned its people. The “wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted.” Does that sound familiar in our own day? Do not morning news reports announce that perversion is rageing in our midst? What are we to do?

This is precisely what Habakkuk faced! Yet, in His own time and in His own way, the LORD announced His intention. “Look out among the nations!” He said. “I am doing something… you would not believe, if you were told.” Then the LORD revealed to his servant that He is using the Chaldeans to march throughout the earth to confiscate things that are not theirs. He has literally turned them loose to avert justice and all authority. After all, He says, their justice and authority “originate with themselves.”

While we abhor the thought of perverse, unjust people raging thoroughout our land; still, what we are reaping is traceable to our lazy lack of concern for the LORD and His Holy Name. The LORD permits evil to abound when His own people refuse to renounce their sin and earnestly appeal to Him for forgiveness. Does that apply to 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,

Nahum 1:3-9, “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither; The blossoms of Lebanon wither.
5 Mountains quake because of Him And the hills dissolve; Indeed the earth is upheaved by His presence, the world and all the inhabitants in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him. Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire and the rocks are broken up by Him. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of its site, and will pursue His enemies into darkness.
9 Whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice.”

Most of us know people who seem to have two personalities. When things are going well, they laugh and joke and are great fun for all around them. But, when things are not going well, they grouch and complain and are not-at-all the kind of people we want to be around. Well, don’t put the LORD in either of those categories.

True and loving parents are like that. They possess both love and anger. It’s the love that produces anger when their children disobey. And that anger is not hate, although it often feels like that to the child. Godly parents behave according the LORD’s instruction. They then instruct their children in the ways of the LORD and expect them to obey. How could we expect them to reward their children for disobeying?

Instruction from the LORD comes to us through His Word in Holy Scripture. That’s why we need to read and follow it closely. Only those who wish to justify activities contrary to Scripture subject themselves to God’s wrath. And His wrath is often quite severe! Children who disobey their parents’ instruction often seek to distance themselves from their parents; but there is no running away from the LORD! He is everywhere all the time! You cannot hide from God, but you can be forgiven if you confess your sins to Him and trust Him to forgive 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