The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

1 Kings 10:6-7, 9, “Then she said to the king, ‘It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and

your wisdom.

7‘Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told

me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard….’”

9″’Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved

Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness.’”

If something is true, it will bear up after an excruciating examination. A spelling bee examines a young student to

ascertain whether he can accurately spell the words he claims to know. Forensic examinations seek to determine whether a crime has been committed and, if it had, who committed it.

If you’ve previously heard of Solomon, you surely have heard of the Queen of Sheba. Biblical historians differ as to her origin, but the notoriety of Solomon had travelled far and she had come to see whether it were true. Having examined virtually everything in Solomon’s kingdom, and having personally witnessed his wisdom, she announced to him that indeed it was a true report; in fact, she said it exceeded everything she had heard.

What is surprising is her acknowledgment of the LORD! So far as we know, Solomon had not witnessed directly to her, but she had seen the LORD in his life. And she, as a pagan queen, gave praise to the LORD for all He had done for

Solomon! Can’t we get a good lesson from that? Witnessing is not just telling people about Jesus. Of course, it involves telling about Him; but it is first of all the demonstration of love and faith and wisdom in and through our lives!

He had a purpose for Solomon, and He has a purpose for you and me. Let’s get busy and share Him with others.

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 Kings 8:57-61, “”May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us,

58that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes

and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers.

59″And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near to the LORD our

God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day

requires,

60so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no one else.

61″Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His

commandments, as at this day.”

I’ve always listened carefully to audible prayers. If the person praying is not sincere, it will show in his prayer. Those

whose prayers come genuinely from the heart reveal to their listeners the other’s rich closeness to the LORD Himself.

Solomon had not long been king when he prayed the prayer in our verses above. God was real to Solomon! He was

a God of righteousness, whose ways produced love and faithfulness from His children. Yes, He had statutes and

ordinances and commanded adherance to them. Further, His love and faithfulness to King David drew allegiance from

David’s son, Solomon.

Solomon’s life paralled his prayer. He was the King of Israel, but he was subservient to his King, the LORD God. It was Solomon’s purpose and focus to keep the LORD’s commandments and statutes, and to instill them into the lives

of his people, “so that all the peoples of the Earth (might) know that the LORD is God; and that there is no one else.”

For by the lives of the Israelites the nations of the would be influenced toward the LORD. And so it is today, and so has always been. When our hearts are focued on the LORD, and when we are living by His Word, the Scriptures,

those without Christ Jesus cannot help but notice.

So, “be wholly devoted to the LORD…, walk in His statutes, and… keep His commandments.” He is the LORD, and

“there is no one else.”

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 1:13-16, “Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace

to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;

16 because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

It has been said, “Christianity has not been tried and found difficult; it has been tried and found impossible!” There

is no way that any of us are living exactly as Jesus intended; but we can and must do better than we are! Peter knew

this and wrote it for the instruction of as many believers who would endeavor to follow his teaching.

First, it’s a matter of our mental focus. There is nothing in the Christian faith that we cannot be or do if we keep

focused on the LORD and His purpose. That is true whether you hunting deer or escaping from a wild dog. You have

to keep mentally focused to accomplish the task. At the same time, Peter says we must keep sober and focus in hope on the grace of God that saved us through our LORD Jesus Christ.

Second, we must be obedient to the teachings of Christ and be done with the various lusts we left behind when we first trusted Him. Satan is very clever and calls us back again and again to our old ways of life. He then feeds us with

excuses for not being what Christ has saved us to be. Christ saved us and called us to obedience. Through love, He called us to holiness, saying, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

When my daughter was a small child, I could have set her on my lap and prompted her to say, “I love you, daddy,”

over and over again. But my compelling her to repeat words not from her heart would have been senseless and futile. So, I loved her and my love drew her to love me. God loved us and sent His Son. Now, what could be more magnetic

In drawing us to Him than the love He Himself has shown us? Fix your mind on that and you will please 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.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 1:3-7, “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.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by

various trials,

7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire,

may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ…”

With the “run” on the stores to purchase items suspected to become scarce in the days ahead, it is needless to say that some people are indeed in a mode of panic. I, for one, have stayed dutifully home, obeying the orders of those who know much more about this situation than I. Those who raid stores to deplete their shelves of items, are either selfish or thoughtless of others, or both!

The verses above reminded me of standing near Peter’s home in Israel. For it was Peter who praised the LORD for our being “born again to a living hope.” Come what may, the LORD is our strength and shield.

We are “protected by the power of God through faith…,” despite the trials that war against our minds and souls. Peter notes quite clearly that “the proof of (that) faith…(is) more precious than gold,” because gold perishes, and true faith does not! Do you have that kind of faith?

In the end, Peter says, “even though (we be) tested by fire,” –and is there a testing more horrendous than fire? — we will “praise and glory and honor (the LORD), whether at the Coming of our LORD Jesus Christ or at our going to meet Him. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was more correct than possibly he himself knew when he said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Fear is the antithesis of faith. I, for one, was excited to hear President Trump call our nation to into a Day of Prayer. Prayer in faith is the key to everything! May our gracious and blessed LORD Jesus grant us increased faith as we increase our prayers.

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,

Exodus 11:1 “Now the LORD said to Moses, ‘One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely.’”

Revelation 16:21, “And huge hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, came down from heaven upon men; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, because its plague was extremely severe.”

The world in which we live today is obsessed with the Caronavirus (COVID-19)! According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, this may in one way be the most devastating virus in our lifetime. From a medical standpoint, COVID-19 will infect more people, but with less probability of death.

What makes the most “devastating” is that it replicates itself and spreads more rapidly that previous plagues. Guidelines from the CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) are giving mankind important information on how to combat the virus. Although the promise is that “it will all get worse before it gets better,” we will survive if we take the warning seriously and follow directions for adverting the virus.

Plagues are not new to our world. History is replete with plagues that covered large areas of our globe.

Fifty times the word plague is mentioned in the Bible. Forty-seven times we find the word n the Old Testament. The LORD brought severe plagues upon Egypt in the successful effort to force Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. Sometimes the Hebrew word means pestilence; sometimes, slaughter; sometimes, a blow. Plague (?????) is found only three times in the New Testament: once in

Revelation 11:6, and twice in Revelation 16:21. In each instance, the word relates to the LORD’s activity in the face of man’s blasphemy against God.

Medical personnel can identify such problems as we have before us, and suggest what we can do to avoid contagion. But, could it not be that the LORD has had sufficient patience with abortion and homosexuality and so-called “transgenderism,” that He is pouring out His righteous wrath upon stubborn and blasphemous mankind? Even some churches today have turned away from Holy Scripture and surrendered to an “acceptability” of our ungodly culture.

We would do well to view our current situation as a judgment of Almighty God, because when we do, we will look to Him for the solution and, simultaneously, we will turn from our sin. The LORD alone has and is the solution! Even when He allows man the discovery, we are likely to praise man and ignore His almighty power and Person. May those of us who know Him, prayerfully submit our lives to Him in a new and sincere repentance. He alone can still the storm.

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.”