The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philippians 4:4-7. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Temperament is vitally important! Problems abound! Things we never thought would occur, have –and they have afflicted us!

What do we do? More accurately, what ought we to do? Paul says it all in one word: “Rejoice!” Paul, are you kidding? I’ve got some real problems, and you say “rejoice!” (Maybe I ought to read further…) Paul actually says, “Rejoice in the LORD always.” Don’t ever give up! The tougher it gets, the stronger we need to be! It’s still tough, but the LORD knows all about it, and He has the strength that strengthens us.

Have a gentle spirit so that other people will see it. No, you’re not flaunting something fake. When you rely upon Him, His strength absorbs your weaknesses. His joy soakes up your sadness. You may think the LORD is far away, but the Bible says, “The LORD is near.” Quit being anxious about things you cannot change. In point of fact, just quit being anxious altogether. I’ve come to believe that notwith-standing, the LORD’s use of medical personnel, when they seem to fail, and we seem to be left without hope… WE ARE NOT WITHOUT HOPE AT ALL! “My times are in (His) hand,” His Word assures us (Psa. 31:15).

Well, what do we do in times of sadness, bereavement, hurt, anxieties? Pray! And pray with Thanksgiving! How does that help? Verse 7 says, the peace of God will encompass us. It’s beyond understanding, so we need not try to figure it out. But, it’s there becaise HE is there! And He protects us within the hurt, until the healing has come full course. How does that work? I don’t know, but it does! Give the LORD your hurt, your anxieties, your uncertainties. Just keep your mind on Christ Jesus! He really is the Great Physician!

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 4:1-5, “Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.

3 Indeed, true comrade, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with

Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.”

Churches to stay rigidly in the Word of God and maintain a genuine love with other Christians. Here Paul starts with a positive, general note: “…my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and crown…stand firm in the LORD…”

Then he gets specific! “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the LORD. These two women, mentioned only once in the entire Bible, had previously labored together in the work of the LORD. Then they had a “falling out.” It’s both amusing and ironic that Euodia means “good traveler” and Syntyche means “accident.” I’m sure you’ve known people like this in churches. Just to be fair (not “politically correct”), I will say that men sometimes have the same problem. Why do you suppose that occurs? Could it be the devil seeking to break churches apart by pitting one group against another? I knew two families in a church, who were “thicker than thieves,” as the saying goes. But there was a rift between them, and they sat on opposite sides of the church and in the front pews! It was ridiculous, as if each group were seeking to flount their disdain for the other –and IN THE LORD’S HOUSE ON THE LORD’S DAY! How on Earth can the LORD be glorified when His people act like the devil himself?

Oh, the devil gets to families, too. I don’t encounter quite as many people in my retirement as I once did in activity. Still, I continue to encounter people whose families are at odds over some of the silliest things you could imagine. What’s more, both sides claim Jesus as their LORD and Savior! I am not competent to diagnose the depths of their troubles or make judgments as to who is wrong, but I know that the LORD is not pleased with broken families and broken churches.

Paul’s mention of Clement, who has labored with the two women, could possibly be a subtle way of saying, “Clement, see what you can do to remedy the problem these women have!” He then closes these verses with an encouragement to “Rejoice in the LORD!” But how, Paul? We want to rejoice, but we cannot treat wrong as right! That’s why he says, “Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men.”

Forbearing has to do with present offenses. Forgiving has to do with past offences. Don’t you think we would do well to employ both?

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,

Proverbs 20:11-12, “It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself If his conduct is pure and right.

12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made both of them.”

Electronics has entered every area of our lives. If you’re not sure about that, you just need to watch football!

Things that occur with such speed often seem to favor one team; however, with electronics, we have replay;

and with replay, we get a closer and more accurate examination.

Ordinary people are like players on a football team; the catch of a long throw from the quarterback is unquestionable!

–or is it? Close inspection says that the ball hit the ground before the receiver had complete control of it. It’s not

counted as a catch.

We often engage in activities that appear to escape the eye of those around us. Sometimes we just have to admit

that what we did was wrong. Yet, even in those times when we think nobody could see what we did, God sees!

The writer says “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made both of them.” We just cannot hide

from those who are smarter and more vigilant than we are. I’ve had people reveal to me things that they had heard

me say –things I denied because I didn’t remember saying them. Yet, when they cited the time, the place, the

circumstances, and the words, then I remembered and had to admit to what I had said.

But, whether or not someone overhears what you say, the LORD hears everything, and His eye beholds everything.

He made them both! The engineer that built the engine of the car knows the engine’s maximum power. He knows

what the engine will do and what it will not do. Even so (only more so!), the LORD knows everything about you and me.

That’s exactly why the writer warns us to be sure our “conduct is pure and right.” It’s no good trying to compare

yourself with someone else. There is but one standard, and it is His! Be careful tomorrow. The LORD never slumbers

or sleeps.

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 3:17-21, “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,

19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has

even to subject all things to Himself.”

Trying to lead by example has some built-in problems. First, and perhaps foremost, is the presumption that the “example” contains every component necessary for what it proposes, and that the person demonstrating the example is fully competent to do so, as well.

Paul is competent! The pattern he sets before the Philippian Christians and us is second only to that of our LORD Jesus Himself.

Paul’s instruction is always to beware of those who pretend to be Christ’s followers, but have a hidden agenda that draws people to

themselves instead of to Christ. Such pretenders are indeed “enemies of the cross of Christ.” The focus of these “pretenders” is upon themselves. They love the things of this world and the praise of their followers. True Christians, however, view themselves as citizens of Heaven and subjects of the LORD. They are looking “up,” in expectation of Christ’s soon return.

Setting aside the desirable things of Earth, the LORD’s true people are eagerly awaiting His Return! For at that moment, our bodies will be transformed “into conformity with the body of His glory.” The power of the LORD –identical with His power in Creation—will subject all things to Himself. At that point, even Paul’s instruction, although spiritually ordered and directly from God, will pale in comparison with the exaltation of the supreme example of Christ and the incomparable glory before which each and every one of us will fall.

Seeing that all of these things shall come to pass, and seeing that the world around us suggests that they are coming rapidly, does it not give us a clarion call to the work He has designed for us to do? The Scriptures teach that what we sow is what we shall reap. We

have a choice: work now for what wealth there is here, or work now for the wealth there is There. What is most important to 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,

Philippians 3:10-14, “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,

being conformed to His death;

11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

12 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold

of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but 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.”

I have a book in my library written by a missionary, a book I had never read. On one of our mission outreaches in

Mexico, I met and worked closely with the author of that unread book. My encounter with him was such that I read

the book completely while en route home. The book hadn’t changed; it was that I had met the author.

That’s what caused Paul to cry aloud “that I may know Him!” Paul had met the LORD Jesus years before while on

the Road to Damascus. But, his cry now is that he might know Him more intimately — know His power that raised

Him from the dead, know the fellowship of His sufferings. I’ve seen people suffer, but I can honestly say that I’ve

never longed to join them in their suffering. Paul saw suffering as a “fellowship” when encountered with Christ.

We might think, as some Philippians may have, that Paul was a bit “overboard” in his thinking. He knew, however,

that the Father, Who had sustained His Son in all His sufferings, could and would sustain Paul in them, too.

Paul, freely acknowledges that he has not yet achieved that standard. He’s just going to forget the past and reach

forward to what lies ahead, and press on toward the goal that promises a prize to those who answer the call of

God that rests in the LORD Jesus Christ.

I’ve read those verses above many, many times over the years. They are some of my favorite verses in all of

Scripture; yet, the only part I seem to have achieved is “not having laid hold of (everything) yet.” Maybe I think

back too much. Maybe I’m not hungering and thirsting enough for what the future is bringing. The word “reaching”

means “to stretch forward,” stretching until it hurts! Do you think we’re all too much in the present and not doing

enough thinking about the future? I think so. If we were focused on the future, we would be better in the present.

Why don’t we try doing it that way? I will, will you join me?

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.”