The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 5:15-21, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but

as wise,

16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the

Spirit,

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and

making melody with your heart to the Lord;

20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God,

even the Father;

21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

Graduation is usually at the end of the school year. With the COVID pandemic upon us at this time, many schools are omitting the graduation exercise. Yet, when graduation ceremonies exist, there is usually a feature speaker. As I read the verses above, it occurred to me that a speaker’s text is right here in this passage. Read on…

1. Be wise in the way you live. Live according to God’s Word. Things that seem appropriate because others are engaging in them, may not be His way for you.

2. Conserve your time! Time is running out. There is no “refill” on time. None of us lives forever, so use your time in the best, possible way.

3. Don’t be stupid! Always adhere to God’s will. He is and will always be smarter than you; so, remember that He wants the best for you and your life.

4. Be ever and always under control. Call on the Holy Spirit for His guidance and strength. Don’t fight Him when He says, “Put on the brakes!”

5. Be joyful when you speak and sing. Always focus your joy on the LORD!

6. Give thanks to the LORD and for all things. Anything He disallows is for your good. He may later reveal why He said “No!” or He may not.

7. Live willingly in subjection to other believers! No one person has all the answers to everything, yet some believers have the gift of wisdom. Choose your counselor carefully. Select someone older than you. Then weigh carefully all counsel and be exceedingly prayerful.

Now, read again the verses above, assessing yourself in relation to the Word. It might be good to memorize this section of the Word and have it “ready for action.”

Pray for the LORD to make His will known to you, regardless of what it concerns.

And don’t forget to say “Thank You” to the LORD Jesus.

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,

Mark 11:24-26, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask,

believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against

anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your

transgressions.

26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your

transgressions.”

You will forgive me for not recalling the precise incident, but it was a legal transaction for which I was required to obtain a judge’s permission. Somewhere the word “pray” worked itself into the conversation, and being one who prays regularly, I instantly had spiritual thoughts working their way through my brain. Perhaps, I ought to have known better; still, it was my first encounter with that word outside of a spiritual connotation.

There are several words in New Testament Scripture that translate as prayer. The word Jesus used for prayer in the verses above (???????????, proseuchomai) is the most frequent and is always used of prayer to God. For true prayer to be effective, it must always be united with sincere faith.

But there’s more! For prayer to be effective, it must also be coupled with forgiveness. God only forgives those who forgive (??????, aphiemi) others. We must “send away” or relinquish, renounce, put aside, give up whatever we are holding against someone else. Yes, I said “there’s more.”

Recently, I received a report of some indiscretions in which a Christian leader had

become involved. The report purported to be instructive, yet it seemed more bent on castigating the person who was allegedly involved. I recalled the verses above and asked myself, “Where is forgiveness?” For one thing, the actions of the alleged perpetrator never touched the life or ministry of the writer.

We all do wrong. We all sin against the LORD. None of us is perfect. So, if we, who are sinners, are to be forgiven of our sins against the LORD, we must start by forgiving those who sin against us. Some sins have a “community” effect. They involve us remotely, despite not touching us personally. Still, there is no biblical substitution for “letting go” of evil feelings toward others who sin.

Years ago, I experienced forgiveness toward a friend who had wronged me, although somewhat distantly. It was not easy to forgive, but it was imperative if my own prayers were to be answered. Since that time, my own spirit has eased considerably, and my prayers are “easier,” as my conscience is cleared of its guilt.

If you are holding a grudge, turn it over to the LORD. He’s the only One who can and will forgive you. And if the brother whom you have forgiven will not forgive you in return, the LORD can handle that, as well. Life is too short and meaningful for us to neglect forgiveness.

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,

Acts 17:26-27, “…He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the

face of the Earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries

of their habitation,

27 that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him,

though He is not far from each one of us…”

God so ‘Dvu’-d the World

God uses a small word with a giant meaning.

The Wycliffe missionary translators working among the Hdi people of Cameroon felt certain that God must have left His mark on their culture, but struggled to find it. Had He somehow left a clue regarding the nature of His love for them? They discovered it in the most unlikely place, the ending of verbs.

For almost every verb, they could find forms ending in i, a, and u. But when it came to the word for love, they could only find i and a. Why no u? They asked their translation helpers, including the leaders in the community, “Could you ‘dvi’ your wife?”

“Yes,” they said. That would mean that the wife had been loved, but the love was gone.

The missionary then asked, “Could you ‘dva’ your wife?”

“Yes,” they said. That kind of love depended on the wife’s actions. She would be loved as long as

she remained faithful and cared for her husband well.

“Could you ‘dvu’ your wife?” the missionary asked. Everyone laughed!

“Of course not!” they said. “If you said that, you would have to keep loving your wife no matter

what she did, even if she never got you water, never made your meals. Even if she committed

adultery, you would be compelled to just keep on loving her. No, we would never say ‘dvu.’ It

just doesn’t exist.

The missionary asked, “Could God ‘dvu’ people?” There was complete silence for three or four

minutes; then tears started to trickle down the weathered faces of these elderly men. Finally, they

responded.

“Do you know what this would mean?” they asked. “This would mean that God kept loving us over and over, millennia after millennia, while all that time we rejected His great love. He is compelled to love us, even though we have sinned more than any people.”

God had encoded the story of His unconditional love right into the Hdi language. For centuries, the little word was there – unused, but available. When the word was finally spoken, it called into question this people’s entire belief system and was instrumental in thousands coming to Christ.

First Corinthians 1:27 says, “…God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…” Surely, “dvu” in the Hdi language is one of those things. What has the LORD been saying to us that we have failed to notice?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

NOTE: Story forwarded from Ethnos 360; cited from www.wycliffe.org/blog/featured/god-so-dvud-the-world .

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

John 15:4-8, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he

bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up;

and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it

shall be done for you.

8 “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My

disciples.”

Have you ever spent time reading something only to finish and ask yourself, “What on earth did he say?” I’m confident that this happens in every generation and in every country. Jesus avoided misunderstandings by speaking on the level of the people He was addressing. He was so interested in being understood that He resorted to stories and simple life experiences that could hardly be missed.

The LORD created us for Himself. We are the object of His love. At the same time, He longs for us to love Him. In these verses, Jesus speaks of Himself as “the Vine” and His people as “the branches.” The branches produce the grapes, but only when they are securely attached to the Vine.

The word “abide” means “to settle down and make one’s self at home.” The meaning here is for us to enjoy fellowship with the LORD in His Word, in prayer, and in witnessing –all of which results in our becoming more and more like Him and leading to the salvation of the lost, all of which glorifies the LORD!

Failure to abide in the LORD results in devastation (“thrown away…and cast…into the fire…”). Yet, for those who abide in Him and have adapted to His Life, they produce much “fruit” and their prayers are answered! Exactly what constitutes “fruit” in this passage is open to interpretation. Some believe that it refers to the souls that are brought to faith in Christ. Others would include salvation, but widen the meaning to embrace one’s Christlike lifestyle. Whatever the intended meaning, we do well to submit to His invitation to live with Him. For the “weather” that is always with us requires substantial protection; and that protection is always and only provided by the LORD Jesus Christ. Move in, and start really living!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 5:1-4, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;

2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an

offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

3 But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you,

as is proper among saints;

4 and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not

fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Has anyone ever said to you, “You are just like your dad”? What they mean is either, you look like him or you act like him. You remind them of someone else.

The biblical word for imitator is ??????? mimetes, a mimic. It is one who portrays the character, mood, or ideas of another. In the case of mimicking God, the intention is not that we should simply act the part; rather, it is that we might truly become like Him. It’s not a superficial portrayal; it’s the real thing.

So, what is God like? He is love; and we are to love others as He loves us. God’s love was manifested most graphically in His giving of His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Which of your children would you give in exchange for a neighbor –especially, an obnoxious, foul-mouthed, greedy neighbor? But, God did.

God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly went to the Cross for those who were immoral, greedy, filthy, foul-mouthed and generally noxious. In His death, He took all of our sins upon Himself, making it possible for us to become loving

of God and all mankind regardless of their lifestyles.

Recently, I learned of an email sent to a close friend of mine. The sender was brief, but simply said, “Thanks for the seed that was well planted.” The recipient of the email focused on a time many years ago when my friend had led the sender to faith in Christ. Who would have known that the sender would become a friend to missionaries and share with them God’s love, as my friend had shared with the sender? Love produces some strange and wonderful situations!

We all want to be loved. And the way to be loved is to love others. “God loved us and sent His Son.” When we yield our lives to Him, He saturates us with His love; and His love in us spills over onto others. Wouldn’t you like to be a mimic of Him?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”