The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 10:23-24, “I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.

24 Correct me, O LORD, but with justice; Not with Thine anger, lest Thou bring me to nothing.

I saw a religious telecast the other night in which the host of the program interviewed a man of science. There can be no doubt that the man interviewed was a man of great intellect. He quoted (allegedly from memory) huge numbers that left my mind numb trying to keep up. In fact, he was so “scientifically intellectual” that he numbered the distance of

stars and galaxies to the ten millionths of ten millionths of ten millionths.

He acknowledge the LORD as God of the Created universe, but it was undeniably apparent that “his way was in himself.” Jeremiah knew better. He knew that “a man’s way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.” In other words, the man who knows the LORD, knows that it is the LORD who directs his way –his life!

I had reason today to be angry at someone whose direction I believed was not in my wife’s best interest. I expressed myself verbally with some fortitude, but without what I trust was noticable anger. For a reason that will become apparent in a few lines, I reminded my wife that she had not read the recent Grands Letter –an omission that I elected to correct. Yet, I had read only a few lines when I choked on my own words! The very words I had written for others convicted me of a wrong in my own life.

Jeremiah said, “Correct me (admonish me, discipline me), O LORD, but [do it] with justice.” Had the LORD corrected Jeremiah (or me!) with justified Divine Anger, we would have been more than crushed! Such correction would have been devastating, reducing us to total insignificance!

I learned something today: Don’t walk in your own way, Jeffries! The Holy Spirit lives within you to balance and direct and control your life. Just get out of His way!! After all, who is really LORD? It’s certainly not you.

We love and pray for you daily. We need you to love and pray for us.

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. There is talk of releasing Rose Marie from hospital on Wednesday. She received another

unit of blood late today. Our dear Valarie (Robert’s wife) needs your prayers, too. We

are all under some heavy burdens, yet none beyond the strength of our LORD.

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,

Jeremiah 9:23-24, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;

24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the LORD.”

Have you –you that are older—noticed that the price of hamburgers has increased? Oh, not over the past year or two (that’s why I mentioned “older”), but over, say the past 40-50 years. Griff’s Hamburgers used to cost 15 cents on Tuesdays, and we made it a habit to take our three children there every Tuesday. Yes, we were poor, and we knew it! But even the poor have delights. And Griff’s was one of them.

The LORD does not tell us not to boast, but He regulates the object of our boastfulness.

First, we are to boast that we know Him! Usually, our boasting concerns ourselves –where we live, what church we attend, and maybe someone important that we know. But the LORD wants us to boast of our relationship with Him. Do you know Him personally? There is a vast difference between knowing of Him and knowing Him personally!

When we know the LORD personally, we understand His lovingkindness, His justice, and His righteousness on Earth. When someone experiences a tragedy and cries, “Why did God do this to me?,” we clearly understand that that person does not know Him personally.

There are no accidents in God’s economy. He is in control of all things active and static. Yet, He does not produce or involve Himself in evil. His allowance of human tragedy may be to teach us to trust Him more fully. Our God “exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on Earth.” It is sin that produces calamity, not God.

Are you trying to understand God? Dive into His Word daily! Pray and ask Him to help you to understand Him and His teachings. He delights in such things! And so will you.

We love and pray for you continually,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie has pneumonia, but she is improving. Perhaps the worst thing about

hospitals is the inability to get good sleep. Please pray that she will be enabled to

sleep. Rest aids the ability to contend with health issues. Thanks you for your prayers.

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,

Jeremiah 5:30-31; 6:16, “’An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land:

31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My

people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?’”
“Thus says the LORD, ‘Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you shall find rest for your souls.’”

People that are called into court have, in most cases, the option of a trial by jury or a trial by the Bench (the judge). Of course, lawyers for defendents advise their clients to choose the method that is most likely to find them not guilty.

In the first two verses above, the charge against God’s people is read. It is not sugar-coated; it clearly tells it like it truly is. “Prophets prophesy falsely…priests rule on their own

authority…and the LORD’s people love it!” But, what will they do when the jury comes in?

I’ve often heard preachers say to other preachers, “Well in my church, we do it my way.”

The first error is that no church belongs to the pastor. He is to be the spiritual leader, and keep things operating according to Scripture. People are to adhere to their pastor’s leader-ship; but he does not own or rule the church!

As the God-called leader, the pastor should be humble, prayerful, studious of God’s Word, and an able teacher and proclaimer. No pastor should berate the congregation into accepting his teaching. If the LORD is in control, He will enable the people to know whether what they are receiving is from His Word or a simply a man’s concoction with a selfish purpose.

The LORD’s response comes in our final verse (6:16). First, don’t be hasty in following anything new. Stand by the “ancient paths, the good way, and walk in it.” Clear instruction has already been given in the Bible. The only way to “find rest” is to follow the way the LORD has given. What is true for the Church is true for us as believers. Personal “rest” leads to corporate rest. And that rest leads to community adherence of God’s Word. Sound simple? It is when we allow it to be. Study the Word carefully and pray earnestly. He is at work in the lives of His people!

We love and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

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,

1 Kings 8:56-58, “Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant.

57 “May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us,

58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers.”

There’s an old saying, “As the twig is bent, so is the tree inclined.” I remember a lady who shared with me the troubles that led to her divorce from her husband. I asked, as I always do, “Is there any hope of reconciliation?” Her answer was kind, but she said, “No.” I learned that she had children and I reminded her that children need their parents –both of them. Boys who grow up without a father never know how to be a father. The same is true of girls who grow up without a mother. It’s the old “twig and tree” situation all over again.

According to Jewish tradition, the author of the two books of Kings in the Old Testament was the prophet Jeremiah. His emphasis in our verses above was that the promises of the LORD simply will not fail. Since His promises are often conditional, what appears to be His failure, occurs when we depart from His Word.

Have your parents never said to you, “If you do what I have told you to do, you may do what you have asked this afternoon”? Later, when you are denied what you wanted to do, it was not that your parents changed their minds; rather, it was that you had failed to carry out the first part: “…what I have told you to do…” It works the same way with the LORD. He states a promise, but it is conditioned upon our obedience to what He has said.

“But this is the Old Testament,” you say. How does that affect me? The principle of how God operates is precisely the same. His promises to those in ancient times work the same way toward us. They are guarantees that are conditioned upon our obedience to His words.

What’s really precious is “that He may incline our hearts to Himself.” He loves us and wants us to want to do His will more than anything! It’s like the “tree” wanting its own “twig” to grow tall and straight and be a credit to the family from which it has come. Think about it!

We love all of your and want to encourage you to find God’s principles in His Word and put them to work in your own life, as if they were your own. Obedience is the key to success.

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Rose Marie remains in hospital, but is progressing nicely. She does have pneumonia in one lung,

but is being treated, so as to erase the problem we’ve faced before. In the meantime, people are

learning about the LORD and how to have a personal relationship with Him. We will probably

never know whether those with whom we’ve shared ever come to faith in Him; but our job is to

tell them. His is to change their hearts. Your prayers make you a partner in this venture.

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,

Genesis 4:6, “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?’”

Whether it sounds like it or not, “hermeneutics” is a method of studying the Scriptures.

One of the first principles is that the way something is first used in Scripture, is the way

it is to be understood throughout. For instance, the first mention of a snake (serpent) in

the Garden of Eden is evil; and from thereon throughtout the Word, snakes are representative of evil.

What, where, when, who, and why and are five important words that reveal more than you would think when applied to a thorny situation. Why is probably the most intriguing of

the five.

The first mention of the word why occurs in Genesis 4:6, and thereafter it occurs 421 times in the New American Standard Bible: Why are you angry? Why has your countenance fallen? Why did you not tell me? Why did you say…? Why do you stand outside? Why have you come?

Very often we see things in the news and ask Why? Sometimes we look at ourselves and

ask Why? Why did I do that? Why did I not speak up? Why are some people the way they are? There are thousands of questions that start and end with Why?

A five year-old-boy was airlifted to Children’s Hospital with a terrifying disease! Why?

A local business-owner, known for his Christian faith died rather unexpectedly. Why?

A teenage girl disappeared from her home and has yet to be found. Why?

I had some close friends, but they suddenly turned against me. Why?

When the LORD twice asked why of Cain, He already knew the answer. Asking why puts

the onus or responsibility on the person being asked. So, when your parents or Sunday School teacher or even a close friend asks why you did or said something, they are expecting you to give cause to the question. Still more importantly, the LORD views our every move, knows our every thoughts, and the motivation that pushes thoughts into action.

And even when our consciences are clear and yet trouble looms in our pathway, and brings us to our knees in prayer, we find ourselves asking “Why, LORD? Why me?” We may never know the full extent of our suffering. But, we can and do know that the LORD is faithful, and loves us through the trouble. Why? He’s teaching us to trust Him. Do you?

We love and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P. S. Rose Marie went into hospital this morning, having had what is arguably her worst

night ever! When dawn broke this morning, I called the EMTs and they transported

her to our “old, second home,” Washington Regional Medical Center, Fayetteville.

Careful and skillful treatment is at work to restore her health, and progress is evident.

The opportunities for witnessing abound, and she is not shy about telling folks of Jesus.

Your continuing prayers are most encouraging. 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.”