The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 5:8-10, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Sobriety is essential to alertness. Certainly, it applies to the consumption of alcoholic beverages. But, it also applies to the use of common sense. Whatever captivates our thinking also captivates our alertness. Satan is unmistakably our adversary. The very word “prowl” bespeaks a nefarious activity. Check your dictionary or thesaurus. He is clever. Paul wrote, “…we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11). Not to add to Paul’s inspired words, but if we are “ignorant,” that is, if we ignore Satan’s devices, we ought not to be. “To devour,” (????????, katapino) means to overwhelm, to swallow. Satan is not someone to trifle with!!

Furthermore, Satan can be resisted! Faith is the key to resistance, just as it is to salvation in Christ Jesus! Other believers are successfully thwarting him, you can, too! You are not alone in this battle. Others are suffering from the devil’s attacks.

These attacks are not comfortable, to say the least. However, they offer the LORD opportunity to rescue us, His children.

Peter knows personally of what he speaks in this passage. Yes, there is suffering, which makes our rescue and spiritual recovery all the more exciting and pleasant.

Notice the four capstone words in the last verse above: perfect, confirm, strengthen, establish. The LORD is both able and willing to perfect and confirm and strengthen and establish His children. Are you one of His? If you are, just stay alert! The battle is always victorious when Christ is directing it.

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,

1Peter 5:6-7, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,

7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”

We might suppose that Simon Peter would be the last person to suggest that believers “humble” themselves. Even a brief sketch of Peter’s life requires that we note his abrupt outspokenness. He even dared to challenge the validity of Jesus’ predictions! But Peter is older now. He’s learned some hard lessons and speaks much more meekly than in his earlier life.

Therefore, we might expect him to now say, “Humble yourselves…”

Two verses earlier (v. 4), Peter is thinking and writing of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Himself, who could appear at any time.

(Remember the cock crowing?) We would all do well to remember that; but none quite so vividly as Peter. In any event, in the light of the Coming of the LORD –whenever that may be—we surely don’t want Him to find us wrangling among ourselves as to who is the greatest. He will decide that when He comes! For now, we must humble ourselves and think of ourselves less –much less—than we normally do. The LORD will hand out awards in His own time; and they will be given to those who think more of others than they do of themselves.

Anxiety falls upon all of us at some time. Some are anxious to achieve more and have more. Others, who already have much, suffer from anxiety over whether someone else will steal what they themselves have already aquired. Thus, anxiety cuts both ways. But the surest way of eliminating anxiety is to cast it all on the LORD. “Be anxious for nothing,” Paul says.

I rarely loan my car to anyone. When I do, however, I loan it to someone I trust as a good-to-excellent driver, and I don’t

worry about the safety of either one. If you have a lot, don’t worry about its safety, just give it into the Hand of the LORD.

If you don’t have much, don’t worry about that, either; you are the LORD’s child, and it is His responsibility to care for you and all your needs. Either way, “He cares for you.”

What a wonderful Savior and LORD we have! Everything we do should be done for His glory! He is the One who gave us life. So, life and the LORD should be our only concerns. Live your life for Him; He gave His Life for you!

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,

1 Peter 4:17-18, “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

18 And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?”

When the serpent first tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, Satan showed that his intention was to destroy everything that God had created! And throughout the Old and New Testaments, he challenged both Israel and the Church. That challenge continues to this day. Groups of so-called “believers” have strayed from the Truth of the Gospel, substituting “political correctness” for sound theology, leading to the inevitable division within entire Christian denominations.

Surely, judgment will soon fall on those churches that are incorporating worldly thinking. And Peter reckons, “…what will be the outcome of those who do not obey the Gospel of God?” For it is the business of the Church to exalt Christ and His Word, so that the lost might come to Him in salvation.

In his “Prologue” to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer asked, “If gold rust, what will iron do?” Such thinking, while abhorrent to true believers, is applicable to many of today’s churches. If the church turns away from the Gospel, how will anyone ever come to faith in Jesus Christ? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is already under a ferocious attack throughout the world. Just as a sports team plays harder in the final moments of the game, Satan ups his attack as we move rapidly toward the final days of human history.

What can sincere, born-again believers do? First, stay close to the LORD! Read and study His Word daily. Pray sincerely and seek His guidance in everything. Second, find a church that has sound theology and doesn’t waver on clear, biblical beliefs. Finally, share your faith in the LORD Jesus Christ in the effort to win people to Him. Keep your life spiritually clean, and the LORD will bless you in all that you do for His glory!

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,

1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Good or bad, I’ve been gifted with a sense of humor. Sometimes, I get a bit goofy, talking to people I’ve never met, but as if we had known each other for 40 years! A tall man nearly hit my cart in Walmart the other day. I looked at him and said, “Uh, I never mess with guys who are bigger than I am.” He smiled and his wife laughed out loud.

Hidden (I trust not too much) beneath my attempt at humor is a genuine love for “the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ.” When I hurt (and I often still do), I am reminded that it is “His great mercy (that) has caused (me) to be born again (from Above) to a living hope.” And from where does this “living hope” come? It comes “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Had Jesus Christ not risen from the dead, His death on the Cross would have had little to no meaning. But, He did rise from the dead and that gives us an unusual inheritance! –not of itself “able to perish,” or to “be(come) defiled.” Further, “it will not fade away,” disappear or become meaningless. Instead, it is reserved in Heaven for those who have come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

The same powerful love of the Father that sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins, now protects us through faith for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last days. Do you not see the turmoil in our world today? Those who have done wrong, go unpunished; those who have lived honestly, are subject to lies, ridicule, and often imprisonment and death. I have preached in numerous countries around the world, and without incident. Yet, I would be hesitant about returning to some of those same countries today, due to their furious hatred of my Christian faith.

Listen, dear reader, we are living in the last days of human history! Our only hope is in the protection of Almighty God! Mission fields, some of which I have visited, are now rife with unrest, often due to their own political unrest and mismanagement. Missionaries need our prayers! Our hope lies only in the LORD Jesus Christ, and in the power of Almighty God, who protects us. Today was someone’s “last day.” Tomorrow may be yours or mine. Live courageously! Share “the Faith once delivered to the saints.” May God help us all to be living for Him, when He Comes to take us Home!

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,

James 1:23-25, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;

24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”

There were no iPhones in James’ day. With an iPhone, one can either take a selfie to see how he looks or reverse the camera, so he can be seen while looking at the phone’s screen. So, without the aid of this modern convenience, James uses an analogy. He says that one looking at his own likeness in a mirror will soon forget what he looked like when the mirror is removed.

In contrast, James now says the one who looks at God’s “perfect law,” the law of liberty will be free from the lusts and defects of his life. If we abides in that law of liberty, we will be free from those things that impede our walk with the LORD. Note, however, that “abiding” means a steady obedience to the LORD’s directives. If we abide in Him, we will then be free from a conscience that plagues us with respect to sin. We will then be enabled to be active according to His directive and leadership.

The capstone of it all is that we “shall (then) be blessed in what (we) do.” Let me just add that leading one soul to faith in Jesus Christ produces such an intensity within us that we just want to win more and more people to Him and His cause.

There’s an old story from the Civil Way that highlights what I am saying. A sentry captured a soldier from the opposing army, and brought him in to the Captain. There was a great stir within the camp, concerning this capture. “Where did you get him?” one officer asked. And the sentry’s response was: “Why, Sir, the woods is full of ‘em! Go out an git youself one!” Believe me, reader, the woods are indeed “full of ‘em.” And once you have won someone to faith in Christ, you will not be forgetful of what you have seen in that mirror!

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.”