The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

John 1:1-5, “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 by 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 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

As a small boy, my mind could not grasp how God could have always just been. Everything that I knew had experienced a beginning. How God, who was the author and builder of all things, could have preexisted all He had authored and constructed was beyond my comprehension. It still is. There are things that lie just outside our mental grasp. We are permitted to reach for them, but never to fully understand them. We can see, and grasp a portion of their function, but we can never fully lay hold of them, much less explain them to others. Our understanding, however hindered, however limited, must rest upon what is called faith.

Believing faith admits God into our equation. We cannot (and will never) fully understand Him or His workmanship. Yet, His existence alone explains things that otherwise can never be mentally grasped. We know that we are alive, but we must know Him before we can know why. It is His Supreme Life that enabled our mortal life. But for what purpose? It is He who gives light –understanding— to us all. He is our Light; and by it He penetrates the darkness.

His Light dispels darkness, yet darkness lacks the power, the design, to dispel Light.

How then are we to grasp or attain to His understanding? For that, He has given us His Word, the Holy Scriptures!

The Scriptures are His Light that dispels our darkness of understanding. He enables us to grasp the meaning He displays in Scripture, but not before we recognize and accept His Divine Supremacy! He moves through Scripture to reveal to us His Son, the Word, the LORD Jesus Christ. When we then utilize the faith He has allowed us, we fall before Him, asking forgiveness for our sin of unbelief, whereupon He forgives us and transforms us into His own.

Has anything like this occurred in your life? I remember when it happened to me! It is real! It’s like seeing through your eyes for the first time! It sets us on the pathway of understanding and gives Light to the meaning of life. And for that, we continually Love and Praise the LORD for His unspeakable Gift!

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,

AS Psalm 146:1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!

2 I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

3 Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.

5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God;

6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;

7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.”

If you truly know the LORD, and if you meditate upon Him and feed daily upon His Word, you will come to trust Him and praise Him for everything in life! Death is a certainty to us all. Yet, while we live, His Word teaches us to praise Him in all things.

It is easy for us to look to others for our deliverence, yet it is God who delivers us from all the negatives of life. We are warned not to trust “mortal man” because man has no power like the power of God. To be sure, the LORD often uses others to aid us in times of distress; still, we should look beyond them and give praise to Him. For even the help we receive from others, has been provided and directed by the LORD.

Only today, I received an email from a missionary who has fallen on hard times physically. Doctors and hospitals and carefully guided home care and rest have become her life for now. Still, her praise is directed to the LORD. Medical help itself is a product of the LORD’s provision. Historically, it was those who prayed and trusted the LORD for direction, that were initially guided into the discoveries we utilize today. There is ultimately no help in any situation apart from that of the LORD Himself. The Scriptures tell us that He “made Heaven and Earth, the sea and all that is in them.” Furthermore, the LORD keeps faith with all His creation, including the needs of mankind.

The LORD also “executes justice” for those who are wronged and defrauded by their fellowmen. It is He alone who sets us free from the imprisonments of hunger and injustice. Let us, therefore, look to Him alone with joy and thankkgiving. Stop right now and thank the LORD for what He is doing to bolster your life! His Light will guide and comfort you, regardless of how hopeless your situation currently seems. Just praise the LORD! That’s our part. The restoration we earnestly seek is for Him to affect.

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 145:14-21, “The LORD sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time.

16 Thou dost open Thy hand, and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds.

18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.

20 The LORD keeps all who love Him; but all the wicked, He will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD; and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”

I heard it clearly. My eyes were frozen to the screen! “Do you believe in God?” The question itself did not shake me, but I was startled to hear and see it from the one who asked it! It was a newscaster –a television newscaster! He was interviewing an elected government official, when suddenly, out-of-the-blue, he posed the question. It was as if he had just read the verses above. Equally surprising was the response of the interviewee. He was not rattled in the least. His reply was as strong and solemn as the questioner’s!

Four times in the verses above, the psalmist cites the LORD. “The LORD sustains…” He supports all who fall and are in need. “The LORD is righteous…” He is just and kind and truthful in all His ways. “The LORD is near…” He is much closer than to us than we think. He hears our prayers –prayers that are sincere and trusting. He provides what we desire, when we reverence Him in our daily living. He preserves and protects those who genuinely love Him. Simultaneously, He destroys the wicked and all that they plot against the righteous.

Then, in the final verse, the psalmist vows that he himself will praise the LORD for all His works. The psalmist’s words and acts should encourage us all to praise and bless the Name of the LORD! Listen, if a television newscaster can spontaneously proclaim his faith on the air in the hearing and viewing of millions of people, surely you and I can praise Him openly to all with whom we come into contact. Take inventory of His blessings and provisions in your own life, and share His blessings with others! The LORD will support and bless all who praise His holy Name!

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 123:1-4, “To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens!

2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress;

So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He shall be gracious to us.

3 Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us; For we are greatly filled with contempt.

4 Our soul is greatly filled With the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud.”

Did you ever have a need and not know where to go for help? Such has been the lot of us all, even from centuries past. This psalm is interesting in that it begins with the answer and then relates it to the problem. Some difficulties in life so hide themselves from us that we scarcely know where to look for a solution. Here in verse one we are taught to look first and foremost to the LORD. For it is He who rules from His throne in Heaven! Is it to Him that you go first? It ought to be! Old hymns are often instructive.

Where could I go? Oh, where could I go?

Seeking a refuge for my soul.

Needing a friend to help me in the end,

Where could I go but to the LORD?

The examples the psalmist sets forth are instructive, too. To whom do servants look for help in their time of need, except to their masters? Laborers look for help from those for whom they work. Children look to their parents, their grandparents –those older and close by and most likely to help. To whom do missionaries look for help, when they are far from civilization? Fear sets in rapidly! Thoughts of death swim ragingly through our minds! Yet, there is One who stands by us more securely than any other. It is the LORD God, who created the universe and all that’s within it. He is our supreme help and our salvation!

Even the scoffing of those who witness our dilemma –scoffing that confounds the uncertainty of our hearts and minds—can be squelched by the Almighty, when we call upon Him. Still, no one can call upon someone, whom he does not know. Do you know the LORD? Do you know Him personally, so as to ask for His help? If not, then help for you all but does not exist. But, He has made Himself known, so that you may know Him as a Friend. Reach out to Him today! He loves you and wants to satisfy your needs. He has successfully aided others in their needs. Call

upon Him today!

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 121:1-8, “I Will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

6 The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.

8 The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.”

Is there ever a time that we do not need help? Even the psalmist, whose life was lived closely to the LORD, admitted his need for help. It is not weakness to ask for help; it is strength to know when we need it, and greater strength in knowing where to go for help.

The confidence the psalmist has is positive: “My help comes from the LORD…” Where do you and I obtain the help that we need? Do we always look to the LORD? Do we not find help from His Word, the Holy Scriptures? The Scriptures assure us that He will protect us. The LORD does not sleep; He always sees to the needs of His own. Are you one of His? Has your life been truly committed to Him? If it has, you have not need to worry. The LORD is your keeper, you security.

There was a belief among earlier peoples that the heavenly lights –the sun and moon—could adversely affect the demeanor of human beings. In the New Testament we have an instance of a boy, whose father believed his activities to have been controlled by the moon. The Greek word seleniazo, translated lunatic, means “moonstruck” (Mat. 17:15). Still, the psalmist shoves such strange beliefs aside, saying, “The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul.” Do you depend solely on the LORD? Or have silly superstitions invaded your thinking?

The LORD is the supreme guard and protector of all life; especially, the life of the ones who have believed upon Him as their LORD and Savior. We are not to be foolish in our behavior. Neither are we to be afraid. Rather, we are to be committed to Him and to seek His will and direction in all things. Are you doing this? Have you believed in Him as your LORD and Savior? If you have, you may peacefully rest on His Word.

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