The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philippians 2:1-11, “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,

2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.

4 Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name, which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The Apostle Paul covers everything necessary for ministry in verses one through four. Then, in verses five through eight, he exemplifies it all as Christ’s very life. In verses nine through eleven, he identifies the Father’s desires for us all: the exaltation of His Son. When every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Father is then also glorified.

May we ever and always live to the standard of Christ Jesus’ glorification!

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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 1:26-31, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

28 God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food; and it was so.

31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.”

Christmas simply could not have occurred without the creation of man! Furthermore, God created man in His own image! Thus, the creation of man necessitated man’s responsibility to care for all that the LORD has otherwise created.

“Us,” in verse 26 above includes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, known theologically as “the Godhead.” A child asks his parent, “What does God look like?” The answer resides where all true answers reside: in the Bible, the Holy Scriptures.

Human children are much like many spiritual children in that they are responsible to their parents. Parents are, in turn, responsible to the Creator; namely, the LORD God.

You and I are equally responsible to Him. That’s how we keep our children in line.

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Matthew 2:12-15, “And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. 13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.’ 14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.’”

The magi (or “wise men”) were successful in their search for the young Child Jesus. Moreover, they were enabled to present Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Evidently, however, their wisdom did not extend as sufficiently far as necessary because the LORD warned them to return to their homeland by providing them with an alternate way.

Exactly how young Joseph and Mary were at the time we are not told; yet, the LORD instructed them to take the young Jesus and flee into Egypt, escaping the wrath of King Herod.

However wise we may assess ourselves to be, and however dedicated we are to the will of the LORD, we all stand in need of His Divine wisdom. Obedience, therefore, is always the key to our safety! As obedience was safety with Joseph and Mary, so it was with Baby Jesus. Their protection of Him has enabled our protection today. Thank you, LORD, for Your eternal protection of us.

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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 1:1-12, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

1 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

It may be true that there is no book in the entire Bible that supersedes the Gospel of John.

Whether that is true must be left to the many readers of this precious Word. Yet, in the simplest style, the apostle sets forth this marvelous truth. Jesus is God, and God is Truth!

Count the multiple truths in these few verses above. Jesus is the Word. He existed with the Father from the beginning of all things. He is the possessor of all things, such as light and life and love for all mankind. He is the Supreme Emissary of the Father; yet He gave Himself in the most ignominious death for all who would believe in Him.

It is now our responsibility, as those who have believed and trusted in Him, to share His love and trust with others so that they, too, might live and share His eternal love.

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

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,

Luke 1:26-35, “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason, the Holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”

“No one of any nobility travels alone.” At least, that was surely what was thought by the multitude of men and women going to the place of their birth to register as citizens. What was unique was that Mary and Joseph were not traveling alone! The Holy Spirit of God was their constant, inseparable Companion.

Accommodation in Nazareth in those days was not what it is today. Oh, they had “inns” where a couple could spend the night, but the inns were already filled to capacity, requiring the young couple to find accommodation in a stall with the cattle. We can only imagine what they thought – the Savior of the world, born in the company of livestock!

I’ve slept in some “accommodations” that were less than desirable. Yet, I never complained, knowing that my hosts were providing for me the best that they had. We will always do well to remember where Baby Jesus was born.

Heartily yours in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need,

Until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom