The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Exodus 16:22-30, “Now it came about on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers (measures) for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,

23 then he said to them, “This is what the LORD meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you will bake, and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.”

24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it.

25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field.

26 “Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be none.”

27 And it came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.

28 Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My instructions?”

29 “See, the LORD has given you the sabbath; therefore, He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.”

Time had passed and Moses was now the leader in Israel. His words and his commandments came from the LORD; then, they were given to the people. Bear in mind that the early days of Moses were like a father to his children. Moses received a word from the LORD; then he passed that word on to the people.

The position of pastors today is not quite like that of Moses. Yet, they are leaders of their people, responsible for giving them the Word of God from the Bible and urging them to follow that Word without failure.

Parents are to listen carefully to the message from the Scriptures and advise their children just as their pastors have advised them. As in the day of Moses, some today listen carefully, some don’t.

I was reared to strictly follow the Day of the LORD. There was to be no buying or selling of anything on the LORD’s Day. Strangely, however, once Sunday evening services were completed, we often went to the ice cream parlor, where the boys behind the counter piled high on our cones as much as they would hold for a nickel. I guess we followed the “after the sun goes down” routine.

When I commenced preaching, I often would conclude one week’s meeting on Sunday morning and commence another at another church on Sunday night. That meant driving and sometimes purchasing gasoline on Sunday. I came to consider those who were “emergency” personnel: police, doctors, ambulances, etc. They often had to work on Sunday.

Ultimately, after studying the Scriptures more closely, I came to believe that the LORD does allow exceptions when they are true exceptions! That is the position I continue to hold today. Sunday ought to be set aside exclusively primarily for worship, prayer, and the study of Scripture. Our Sunday requirements necessitate others to work on Sundays.

What do you do on Sunday? Are you in church where Jesus Christ is uplifted and praised? Yes, times have changed; but has the LORD changed? Has He changed His basic directive relative to His Day? One Day we will stand before Him and give an account. Let’s just remember that.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

John 8:28-32, “Jesus therefore said, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

30 As (Jesus) spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.

31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him,

‘If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

There’s really and truly nothing like being free! Related words, such as “freedom, free will, and freely” are not at all new. Both the word and the word’s related concepts are mentioned scores of times throughout both the Old and New Testament. Noticeably, freedom was Jesus’ message as recorded in the above passage by the Apostle John.

Nehemiah, Esther, Proverbs, Ezekiel, Ruth, Philippians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, 2nd Timothy, 1st, 2nd, & 3rd John and Jude are alone 13 of the Scripture’s 66 books that exclude the word “free.” Yet, the concept is there.

Still, the truly big question is: 1) Are you free? and 2) how many people do you know who possess no true freedom in their lives? I underwent a medical procedure recently. The nurses who administered it were friendly, but very busy! Still, I had the opportunity to briefly share the LORD with each of them.

We have no idea how the LORD uses even the briefest, earnest witness.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Exodus 18:5-12, “Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was camped, at the mount of God.

6 And he sent word to Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.’

7 Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare, and went into the tent.

8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had befallen them on the journey, and how the LORD had delivered them.

9 And Jethro rejoiced over all the goodness, which the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the hand of the Egyptians.

10 So Jethro said, ‘Blessed be the LORD who delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of Pharaoh, and who delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.

11 ‘Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.’

12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before God.”

It’s truly a great and glorious experience when a family can convene together and enjoy each other in the LORD! The surroundings were considerably less than any of us would have, were we to convene for a family dinner.

In fact, it was more—much more—than a family dinner; it was a celebration of the LORD and His goodness, for He had “delivered them from the (Egyptians).” Just imagine the war stories that would have been shared in the evening around an outdoor fire. Captured articles of war would have been demonstrated—articles which had been directed against the enemies by the Hand of the LORD!

Yet, greatest of all, they praised the LORD for His mighty hand that showed He had not forgotten them or their needs. I have a dear friend who is suffering from a dreadful illness. He is a true believer and is resting on the LORD for the ultimate answer to his illness. He wrote to me some time ago, saying that he was so thankful—not for the illness itself—but for the closeness to the LORD that the illness had brought him!

Yes, whatever dangers we face, we can “know that the LORD is greater than all.” He allows circumstances to invade the normal course of our lives in order that we may experience the loving power of His Mighty Hand! We ought to be grateful that He allows whatever is necessary to draw us closer to Him!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Genesis 50:15-21, “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph should bear a grudge against us and pay us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!’

16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father charged before he died, saying,

17 “Thus you shall say to Joseph, ‘Please forgive, I beg you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.” And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 Then his brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place?

20 “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.

21 “So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.”‘”

There is no question but that it always pays to be on the right side. It’s not good to be late getting there either, because it looks strangely suspicious! You see, Joseph’s brothers had not treated him with kindness in earlier days. Now, their father is dead, and there’s no one to stand between them and Joseph. But, the brothers came upon the idea of telling

Joseph that their father had wanted him to forgive them of their previous sins against him.

Joseph, however, didn’t know of their plan. Still, fearing what Joseph might do in retaliation, they all jumped quickly on board! We’ve all experienced similar things, I’m sure. At home or at work, we’ve all said things against the leadership – until, in fact, we learned they knew of it.

Come to think of it, now is always a good time to get right with the LORD. We need to do it every day because we’re so prone to sinning without thinking about it. Yes, we pray for forgiveness in our nightly prayers; but were we to pray nearer to the time of the sin, we would not be found guilty at bedtime. Bedtime is not the only good time to repent of sin, however! Right now might even be better. It’s surely worth thinking about. What do you say?

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Romans 12:1-11, “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

3 For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,

5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

6 And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith;

7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching;

8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

These items that are advocated are the experiences of the writer Paul himself. It’s hard, if not impossible, to urge others to do what you yourself are not doing. Yes, it can be said aloud and put into books, but if the author has abandoned the very principles he advocates, it is futile to gain acceptance from hearers.

The purpose of Paul’s writing is to build up the believers in the way of the LORD. No doubt, Paul himself had fought against these very things; but overcoming negative habits is, in point of fact, a form of building. Prophecy, service, teaching, and exhortation are but some of the aspects of building that strengthen the lives of others. These things we will do if we are devoted to one another and to Christ.

The true spiritual advocate of these elements of spiritual growth is manifested in them as he teaches and demonstrates them in others. We often think that those of New Testament times had an edge on us, since they actually knew and heard the teachings of the great Apostle Paul. Yet, the LORD is just as eager for us to learn His ways as He was for Paul and those early Christians.

There is some great teaching in those eleven verses above. Why not re-read them, so as to firmly implant them in your own Christian life? Knowing almost always precedes doing; yet doing needs knowing. They are inseparable twins.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom