The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Daniel 1:1-9, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god.

3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles,

4 youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding, and discerning knowledge, and who had the ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

5 And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service.

6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach, and to Azariah Abed-nego.

8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

9 Now God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials..”

Have you ever been in a situation where you were required to do something you clearly knew was fundamentally wrong? You searched your mind and heart, and resultantly refused to do what you were told!

Situations like that are never easy. Those who know Christ as their Savior and LORD will understand and will doubtlessly be praying for you. They also know your position from past situations. Whatever you do, others will know, and they will subsequently judge you. You will always be judged by what you do in such a situation.

Satan works overtime to wreck Christian reputations. Those who know the LORD must stand as Daniel did and go only as far as the Spirit allows. He must refuse to allow either applause or abuse to direct his thinking. The LORD alone is our Judge!

It is virtually impossible to say here in this short piece all of how a true believer in Jesus Christ should respond. Yet, the believer risks the loss of his profession of Jesus Christ unless he stands consistently true. Are you standing true to His desire? Am I? The glory of His reputation is at stake; and its loss and ours are not easily rescued.

Let me urge you to pray for our forthcoming President. So much relies upon his commitment to the LORD Jesus Christ. I have previously shared that a well-respected national pastor, who is a close friend of President Trump, does believe him to be a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. President Trump is today our president, and he deserves and needs our daily prayers.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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

Dear Grands,

Ezekiel 2:3-10, “Then He said to me, ‘Son of man, I am sending you to the sons of Israel, to a rebellious people who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me to this very day.

4 ‘And I am sending you to them who are stubborn and obstinate children; and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’

5 “As for them, whether they listen or not—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.

6 “And you, son of man, neither fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; neither fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, for they are a rebellious house.

7 “But you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not, for they are rebellious.

8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.”

9 Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it.

10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back; and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe.”

Ezekiel was sent to the Israelites, largely because they were a rebellious people. Do you believe you could identify someone who is rebellious against the LORD God? I’m sure you could, at least in most cases.

Today’s Christian News identifies multiple people who parade as believers, but whose lives identify them as rebellious against the LORD. Numbers of such people call themselves “Christians,” yet their lives differ considerably from what the LORD desires. He is not asleep with respect to their habits. He knows they are not following Him. Moreover, they are stubborn and obstinate and choose not to listen. It is for that very reason the LORD elected to send Ezekiel with His message: “Thus says the LORD God!”

Have we not challenged others to do things they’ve not previously done? Is that not why we sometimes take a younger believer with us when we share Christ with someone?

Have you ever witnessed to someone you sincerely believed the LORD wanted to accept Him, yet he stubbornly resisted the LORD’s message? Why would the LORD send you to such a person? Certainly, He knew the outcome of such an encounter.

Could it not be that the LORD wanted also to develop us as messengers? Remember the mechanic who said, “I’ve never worked on this particular area before, but I think I can do it.” Is that not “learning on the job”?

The LORD has a work for each of us to do. It becomes easier and more delightful when we see progress in the other person’s life. Still, we also learn in the process, making it easier with the next person to whom we witness.

To be sure, not every person to whom we witness will yield his heart and life to Christ. That often requires an increase in prayer on our part. There are those who resist Jesus and never come to personal salvation. Yet, it is our responsibility to see that they hear of Him. Think of someone you know—someone who does not know Christ. Pray for that person and be willing to share your faith. The LORD trains spiritual mechanics.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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

Dear Grands,

John 8:31-32, “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'”

If you have been “glued” to television over the past few days, you have doubtlessly learned a great deal about how our nation has operated these past few years — and from their opponents, how it ought to have been run. You have heard speeches from those who are leaving government service, and you have heard replies to questions from those who are eager to grasp the steering wheels of government, proclaiming their desire to make you free!

We should support our government as much as possible, and we should require of government what it promises to give us. At the same time, no government has ever truly freed its people. True freedom comes only from the LORD!

“Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.'”

Trusting Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins is what makes us free. We ought to be grateful for His death and resurrection because it was for us that He died. Knowing Him, trusting Him, believing His Word – these are the keys to unlocking our personal freedom. Open His Word often! Devour it voraciously! Believe it! Live by it! It is the only Truth by which you will be made free indeed!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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

Dear Grands,

Micah 6:1-8, “Hear now what the LORD is saying, ‘Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

2 ‘Listen, you mountains, to the indictment of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth, because the LORD has a case against His people; even with Israel, He will dispute.

3 ‘My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer Me.

4 ‘Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and ransomed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.

5 ‘My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and from Shittim to Gilgal, in order that you might know the righteous acts of the LORD.

6 With what shall I come to the LORD and bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, with yearling calves?

7 Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, in ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

If you, my dear reader, live in the United States, you will undoubtedly have watched the U.S. Senate as it addresses the various persons seeking positions in our new government, along with our newly elected President, Donald J. Trump.

Were I still in academia, I would be assigning papers to students relative to this election process. I would also be offering apologies for the attitudes of some senators toward both their fellow senators and those seeking a position in the new administration.

No one is denying that those seeking positions in government should be thoroughly questioned. The positions that are being sought are quite serious in nature, and those seeking them must undergo thorough vetting prior to their election.

We might also be thankful that we ourselves are thoroughly cleansed by the blood of our LORD Jesus Christ before we are prepared and allowed to reach out to others in love, hearing the Good News of salvation!

Everywhere about us are those who do not know our Jesus. We should pray for them and witness to them of Jesus’ saving grace! Remember that someone once witnessed to you, leading to your salvation.

Check the attachment: It’s Not How You Play the Game

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that God is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” Corrie Ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Ezra 1:1-6, “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

3 ‘Whoever there is among you of all His people, may his God be with him! Let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel; He is the God who is in Jerusalem.

4 ‘And every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.'”

5 Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.

6 And all those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle, and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering.”

I don’t know what kinds of plays high schools utilize these days, but what I remember of the plays we used to give in high school had to do with a bit of mystery. Sometimes, there were voices that sounded offstage or from behind a curtain. You could hear the voices but had not the slightest idea of whose voice it was. Sound strange? Well, looking back, a lot of what we did in those days was strange.

In some respects (and especially in our current time), Ezra is giving us a sound of the Voice of the LORD, coming, as it were, from beyond God’s curtain.

Cyrus was king of Persia, known to us today as Iran. (How times change!) At that time, it was Cyrus who proclaimed that the LORD — the God of Heaven — had given him all the kingdoms of the earth and had appointed him to build the LORD a house in Jerusalem of Judea.

When anyone assesses that the LORD has put it in his heart to do something for Him, he would do well to attend immediately to the task. The Israelites could have protested. Cyrus himself could have ignored the LORD’s Voice. Yet doubtlessly, His Voice was a clarion call that required immediate attention.

Have you and I not heard a similar voice, setting forth the LORD’s call for action? It may have been a call for monetary funds for a needy missionary. It may have been to shovel snow from the driveway of a neighbor. It may have been a call to prayer for a far-off friend or a friend in a nearby hospital.

Whatever the Voice, it is summoning us “to battle” in the Name of the LORD. Instead of complaining (Why did He call on me?), He gives us the opportunity to work, guided by His Holy Spirit in bringing to pass an event that would be to His ultimate glory.

What has been His call to you? What has been your reply? Have you not assessed His calling as something remarkably beneficial to you? Such a call is to your benefit if you’ll only give it some thought. It is always to our benefit that He even notices us – even more so when we discover His calling. Listen! He’s calling you right now!! He’s asked for you! How will you answer Him? What will your answer be?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

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