The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Daniel 4:1-3, 8, “Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: ‘May your peace abound!

2 It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me.

3 How great are His signs, And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation….

8 But finally Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar according to the name of my god, and in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and I related the dream to him…’”

Did you ever know someone who professed to know Jesus, but lived more like the world? Sure you have! So have I! Well, Nebuchadnezzar was like that. He had a dream that Daniel interpreted, when none of the king’s wise men could do it. Once again, Daniel was summoned into the king’s presence and asked to interpret this second dream.

While the dreams of the king are prophetically important, what I want to focus on is that the king was not committed to Daniel’s LORD; he was only interested in what the LORD could do for him. Notice how the king praises what “the Most High God has done for me,” yet, he

introduces Daniel in verse eight as “Belteshazzar” and identifies that name as “according to “the name of my god…” Then he adds that Daniel possesses “a spirit of the holy gods.”

What’s with Nebuchadnezzar, anyway? Well, it’s just that he is not a true convert to the LORD God Almighty. He views the LORD only as superior to the other gods. But, before we become too unforgiving of Nebuchadnezzar, we need to turn the spotlight on ourselves.

How do we view God? Is He supreme to us? Is He our only God? Or do we admire other gods, and allow them to guide our lifestyle until we really need help?

I do have empathy for people who are hurting. But almost everyone who suffers pain cries,

“Oh, God!” I always wonder of they are crying out to my God or if that’s simply what people say for want of truly knowing Him. Be careful that you don’t allow yourself to mix the two. There is only ONE TRUE GOD: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Get on track with Him, because when trouble comes, you need Him to know that you are trusting Him alone. Otherwise, He will not provide the help you need. There are no other gods.

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,

Daniel 1:5, 8, “And the king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service…

8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.”

Were you ever faced with doing something that you knew was wrong? I think we all have,

but what did you do? These verses concentrate on a young Jewish man, who was faced with a severe test. King Nebuchadnezzar was the powerful King of Babylon. He had captured the people in Jerusalem, and among the captives was a young man named Daniel.

You might at first not believe that Daniel was ill-treated, because the king set everything before him that was intended to make him strong and intelligent –things that would qualify him to rank highly in the king’s service.

Problem was that Daniel was already destined for the King’s service –not that of Nebuchadnezzar, but for the service of the LORD God of Israel. Thus, when all of the rich foods the king set before him, he would not partake. He simply determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s delicacies. He would serve the LORD regardless of the king’s threats.

This is “big stuff” for Daniel. He could be in real trouble. He could even lose his life! Ever been in something like that? I have! It’s a test of your standards. If you believe something is wrong, don’t do it. The LORD will hold you accountable for doing what you know in your heart is wrong to do. If you choose not to do what you know is wrong, count on your peers to jeer and make fun of you. They do that, of course, because they don’t have your conviction and the courage to resist.

Daniel was not a smartaleck . He just had his head on straight. He knew who his LORD was, and he reasoned that it was better to face Nebuchadnezzar than to face the LORD. It that what you would have done? Is that what you do when you’re faced with a decision? At the same time, note that Daniel sought permission from “the commander of the officials” to reject the king’s fine food. I can’t tell the end of the story in this short space, but Daniel was victorious over his opposition! It’s always that way when we obey and put the LORD first.

I’m praying for you and for our nation! I fear the judgment of the LORD more than I fear any authorities here on this Earth.

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,

Luke 24:8-11, “And they remembered His words,

9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.

10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”

Were you ever told something that you simply could not believe? I have. In fact, there have been several things that have occurred in my life that I simply could not believe. One was when a friend and I were told that the church where we were conducting a meeting wanted to send us to New York with an offering for Billy Graham. (It never happened.) Another was

when Charley Riggs appointed me to two chairmanships in the Billy Graham Crusade in St. Louis. Another was when I was selected at age 29 to participate in the Missouri-Australia Crusade of 1984. And the list goes on….

You would think that the apostles of Jesus would have had no problem believing that He had risen from the dead, but they did! They had walked with Him for three years. They had heard His messages to the people, and witnessed scores of miracles He performed. They had even heard Him say that He would die and rise again; yet, now they are having difficulty believing that He was actually alive from the dead, as He had said.

Do you believe that the LORD created “the heavens and the Earth”? Do you believe that Jesus lived on this Earth and brought to us the message of Salvation? Do you believe that Christ Jesus loves you? Do you believe that He has a plan for your life? Do you believe that He can do things through you — things that will ultimately accrue to His glory?

If you believe all of the above, why are you trying to do for yourself what only Christ can do? Don’t be like those early apostles, who didn’t believe He was risen from the dead. Trust Him with your life! Trust Him with the ministry He has invested in you! On what basis can you justify not believing in Him? Has He ever failed you?

As a college student, I drove a considerable distance to preach in a church. I had enough gasoline in my car to get there, but not enough to get back. I was relatively certain that the church would take an offering for me –but would it be in cash or in an check? It was in a check. How was I to cash the check at night? I literally had NO money! I was in my car and ready to leave, when a man rushed out of the church and to my car. “They didn’t give you enough,” he said. And he handed me $50.00 in cash!

Learn to believe God! Lean on Him alone. After all, when He raised Himself from the dead, what is there that He cannot do?

Pray for me. I am praying for you.

Heartily in Christ,

(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,

John 15:12-14, “’This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

13 ‘Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

14 ‘You are My friends, if you do what I command you.’”

There is nothing like a friend. Solomon said, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity” (Prov. 17:17); and, “…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Pro. 18:24b).

I am still receiving cards of condolence in the mail. Emails fill my inbox, asking how I am doing. Phone calls have swarmed my cell, leaving me no choice but to temporarily avoid them in order to maintain control of myself. So, while I have not replied appropriately to all who have lovingly contacted me, I know who you are: you are my friends! –our friends; and we love you for it!

The counsel I have received has come from family and long-time Christian friends. I have not crossed the mark where grieving has totally past, but the very thought of Rose Marie being in Jesus’ presence is my constant consolation.

Let me urge you to cherish our LORD’s commandment that we “love one another.” The word “love” is the Greek word agape, which intends and offers the best to the other person, and expects nothing in return.

The Apostle John warns: “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:15). Whatever our lot, whatever our fate, we can face it victoriously if we possess the love of the Father within us! “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Eph. 6:10).

This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (Jn. 15:12-14).

I love you and pray for you daily wherever you are!

Heartily in Christ,

(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 4:23, “And Jesus was going about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.”

Purpose is the key to activities. Everything we do, we do with a purpose. Even not doing something has a purpose. So, what was Jesus’ intention while He was on Earth? First, He taught the Scriptures in Jewish synagogues. Jesus was Jewish, and it’s reasonable to believe that He went to the Jews first because they had only one God.

The Jewish community, however, did not always receive His message well. The Gospel He proclaimed was different from that to which they had become accustomed. On more than one occasion, Jesus’ message provoked Jewish anger, and they sought to do away with Him.

The Jews of Jesus’ day were not much different than the Gentiles of today. Pastors often encounter adversity when they preach the Truth of Scripture. Scripture is condemning. It tells us that we are all sinners in God’s sight and that we need to repent, renounce sin, and

accept Him as our LORD and Savior.

Have you noticed how we don’t like to be told when they are wrong? They want to be right on their terms, not on God’s terms. Moreover, Jesus was preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. He was introducing the Message that was prophesied in the Old Testament. Had the Jewish community understood the prophesies of the Old Testament, they would have readily received Jesus as their Messiah. How much we all miss because we refuse to understand what we think we don’t like or need.

Jesus’ healing was real; yet, the true purpose of His healing was to support His message. He knew that healing would cause all the people, Jews and Gentiles, to believe what He said. He was not limited in what He could do. Nor is He limited today. Why then, are not more people healed of their infirmities? They either do not believe or they believe for the wrong reasons. We say we believe, but we don’t really.

If our beliefs are weak, how do we strengthen them? We strengthen them through serious study of the Scriptures! How much do you read the Bible? How much do you meditate on what you read in the Bible? How seriously do you seek to apply the Scriptures to your life? Reading the Bible strengthenes your belief in Christ! Trust Him completely! Learn to lean on Him to teach and train you. You will be amazed at what He enables you to become.

I am praying 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.”