The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;

3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word, so that

we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;

4 in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how

you should respond to each person.”

Somewhere in these letters, I’ve shared with you this story. I used to rush home from school in time

to hear my favorite story on our little A.M. radio. Stories were always at a critical point, and this day

was no different. Static in the atmosphere masked the story! I would never know whether the hero’s

life was spared. What could I do to remedy the situation? I could PRAY! And I did. And the static that

had been present, suddenly vanished, and the program was as clear as crystal! True story!!

Paul admonishes every believer to “devote (himself) to prayer.” The word “devote” is ????????????,

proskartereo, meaning “to attend constantly” to the matter of prayer. You don’t have to be on your

knees; you don’t have to close your eyes; you don’t even have to voice your prayer aloud, although

I recommend that you show reverence by employing each of them. Remember, too, that prayer is

asking the LORD to “open up to us a door for the Word.” It’s not as much about us, as it is about

opening an opportunity for us to share His salvation with someone else. How do I know that’s true?

Read on: Paul says, “so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ…” Neither we nor those with

whom we share Christ, understand completely the “mystery” of His salvation. Yet, when the door of

their hearts and minds are opened, He makes the “mystery” understandable.

One more thing: what we say must be uttered in the crucible of good conduct. The LORD gives us

wisdom toward those with whom we speak. That makes “the most of the opportunity.” He teaches us

how we ought to appear in love toward others, and how we are to respond to whatever they may

ask or say. If we truly trust Him to be faithful to His Word, we need not be afraid. You’ll be amazed

how quickly and completely the LORD will clear the static, when His Word is being shared.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

P. S. Shirley is a 90-year-old lady, who faithfully attends my Sunday School class. Many weeks ago,

I asked the class to pray about two very important issues that were of consern to me. Almost every

Sunday she asks if those issues have been resolved. One has. Please pray with Shirley and me

that the other issue will find resolution in the will of our LORD. Thank you!

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,

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Luke 12:2-5, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

3 “Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5 “But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”

“How in the world did you find out?” I can remember saying something like this to my mother when I was a small kid. She was remarkable! She knew things about me that I didn’t know! And what she didn’t know, she quite skilfully wormed out of me. Oh, she was clever! –and smart! Beyond that, she was loaded with wisdom. The sad thing was how much of her wisdom and instruction I neglected to acquire.

Solomon had wisdom beyond that of any man who ever lived, except the LORD Jesus. The Apostle Paul was also loaded with wisdom, and doubtlessly passed it on to his companion, Dr. Luke. Solomon wraps it all up by saying that the key is to fear (reverence) the LORD and keep His commandments. Why should we fear (or reverence) Him? Because He is God! If you were due in court and required to stand before the judge, showing him courtesy and speaking gently out of fear, would, hopefully, be your first thought. Why? Because he is in charge of your fate! God is in charge of everything, so shape up!

Solomon and Luke both say that you won’t be able to hide anything from God. Nothing great or small will be hidden from Him. And we will all be judged for each and every sin we have committed –sins of which we have failed to repent. Hey, listen! If my mother knew things about me that I didn’t know, the LORD will surely know everything, even things she didn’t know. Shape up! Be smart! Listen to His instructions in His Word! Listen to the voice of His Holy Spirit! Walk carefully! Don’t think you know it all. You don’t! But, He does!

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,

Philippians 4:10-14, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me;

indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every

circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and

suffering need.

13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”

In previous letters, we have noted that the Scriptures teach that the LORD is all-powerful, stronger in all

matters than we could evem imagine. Paul teaches this throughout his letters to various churches. So, the

question arises, why then does it matter whether the churches –or we — pray about troublesome

circumstances in our lives or the lives of others? Additionally, why is it necessary to give money or food or

anything to those in need? The LORD can provide.

Paul covers that when he says that he knows “how to get along with humble means.” Undoubtedly, he means

that the LORD is both capable and willing to meet his needs whatever they be and whenever he needs them.

Yet, his last verse arrests my full attention: “Nevertheless, you have done well to share…in my afflictions.”

Does that sound to you as if he views our attention to others’ needs as beneficial to us as well as to them?

The LORD is certainly capable of meeting the needs of churches, pastors, missionaries, evangelists –every

aspect of His work in sharing the Gospel. I mean, He is capable on His own! He doesn’t need us to do it!

Am I seeking to dissuade you from supporting the LORD’s work? Not at all! If we give everything we have,

He is able to re-supply us. Then, why don’t we trust Him to do it? Of course, the rewards He will one day

distribute to His faithful believers, will leave us bereft if we choose to hoard what He has given us. He wants

to develop our faith in Him. If we can trust Him to have saved us, why do we not trust Him to supply our

physical needs here on Earth? Don’t be stingy with God! “Give and it shall be given unto you…” (Lk 6:38).

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,

Philippians 3:13b-14, “…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and

reaching forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As a boy-preacher, pastoring (some said “pestering”!) my first church, I preached one Sunday on Luke 9:62, “Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” One of the deacons came to me after the service and asked, “Preacher, do you know what that verse means?”

I simply replied, “I just preached on that passage.”

He replied, “Yes, but do you know what it means?”

Deliberately avoiding his question, I responded with a question (something worth remembering), “Tell me what it means to you.”

His response was simple: “If you’re looking backward, you can’t plow a straight furrow.”

I’ve never forgotten that. It’s a great truth for life! Paul wasn’t a farmer, but he knew the principle and had applied it to his own life. It has value for us today, especially as we get ready to commence a new year. Let me suggest the following:

1. Forget your past failures. I have a lot of them. Failures can be good teachers, if we allow ourselves to

learn from them. But they are great punishers, if we don’t! Learn from your mistakes, but don’t allow

yourself to stay focused on them. Satan wants that; but if our LORD has forgiven us those failures, what

profit is there in remembering them?

2. Forget your past successes. I’ve had them, too. The problem is not the success, it’s the dwelling on it

that causes problems. “Just think: I did that! And look how well it turned out. I’m pretty good, you know?”

And all the while I’m congratulating myself on what I did, I’m building a slippery slope on which to fall.

First off, I didn’t do anything. If there were value in the accomplishment, the credit must go to the LORD!

Additionally, while I’m becoming prideful, I’m neglecting the very thing I ought to be doing. No good there!

3. Concentrate on the future! That doesn’t mean to ignore the present; but it does mean to deal with the

present with the future clearly in mind. The “goal” is the mark on which we currently keep our eye. It’s the

ministry the LORD has given us. To some, it is the calling to the ministry; to others, missionary service; to

others, it’s the business world, where money is made to support various aspects of the LORD’s work. Yet,

we are always to keep our focus on that coming Day when we will stand before God, and give account of our stewardship. That’s what lies ahead. Are you ready? What are you doing to get ready? For as sure as

your physical birth, the Day of Accountability is coming!

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,

Matthew 2:1-2, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2’Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him,’”

The magi were a group of philosophers, astrologers, scientists, counselors and such like. (Note, too, that astrologers are quite different from astronomiers. Astrology is a mystical religion. Astronomy is a science

of the stars.) The statement, “…we saw His star in the east…” should be read as, “We, in the east, saw His star,” because the magi were from the east and went westward following the star.

The magi were probably a dozen or so in number. Robbery was common in those days, and were only three men the entire company, they would be taking a severe risk. The thought that there were only three magi in the group is an assumption from the fact that they brought three gifts, gold, frankensence and myrrh, to the Christ Child.

But, how did the magi know that the star they saw would lead them to Jesus? How did they even know there

would be a Child born in Bethlehem? Remember Daniel? Nebuchadnezzar was King of Babylon when he

captured Judea and took captives. Daniel and his three friends were among the captives. Daniel knew the

prophecies of the Messiah’s Coming. As open and outspoken as he was about his faith, is it not likely that

the magi learned of the Messiah’s birth from him?

All of this (and much, much more!) should encourage us to witness openly and forcefully in love to those who have yet to hear of the marvellous “Coming” of Jesus the Messiah. When we discover anything that works better than what we’ve used before, we want to share it with others. What discovery is greater than that of our LORD Jesus Christ? Now that you know, you know what to do. God bless you abundantly!

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.”