The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

James 5:9-12, “Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.

10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

11 Behold, we count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be yes, and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment.”

Have you ever noticed that the closer you get to someone, the more you learn about them; and the more you learn about them, the greater the insentive to complain about them? Especially is this true within the church. We know too much about about others and become critical, when often the things we don’t like is others are the very things that are resident in our own lives. That is why James warns us against complaining, saying that the LORD Himself is watching us and standing ready to judge us for our own sins.

If all of this seems strange, he reminds us of the suffering and patience of others. Job is James’ prime example. Job was indeed a wealthy man. He was also a spiritual man. His children used to get together often, and Job warned them against the evil that would like to compromise their lives. At the same time, Job was physically afflicted and suffered terribly.

Satan dared to challenge the LORD to put His hand against Job and insisted that Job would “curse Thee to Thy face” (Job 1:11). Job thereafter lost everything: his sheep, his camels, his oxen, his donkeys –yes, even his children. To make matters worse, Job’s wife urged him to “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9). Barnes believes “…she supposed that by indulging in blasphemy Job would provoke Him to cut him off at once… She expected that God would at once interpose and destroy him…nothing but death was to be expected, and the sooner he provoked God to cut him off from the land of the living, the better. But instead of turning away from the LORD, Job praised the LORD and rebuked his wife, saying, “Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?” (Job 2:10).

What was the result? Complete Restoration! “And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning, and he had 14,000 sheep, and 6,000 camels, and 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 And he had seven sons and three daughters…And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his grandsons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man and full of days” (Job 42:12-13; 16-17).

In the light of the example of Job, James warns us not to add to our words by swearing oaths, such as “by Heaven I will do it!”; or “as sure as God is in Heaven, I will…” Just simply say, “yes” or “no” and leave it at that. Otherwise, we may say something for which the LORD will judge us. I have often been forced to remember James’ admonition –and more often than not, I’ve forgotten. Don’t fall into Satan’s trap. Just remember the old saying, “If you can’t say something good about someone, don’t say anything at all.”

You are remembered in our prayers; may we be remembered in yours,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

P.S. Rose Marie is progressing nicely. Her appetite is increasing and her strength is returning.

We heartily rejoice and thank 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,

James 5:7-8, “Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Patience is a virtue that not many of us possess. This is a hurried culture. Sometimes we are too busy to shop in stores as we have in the past. But, we find the Internet a place were we can search, find, and purchase. Then, we seethe within ourselves that what we ordered has not come quickly. But, our anxiety does not hasten the arrival of the purchase. So it is with the Coming of the LORD.

When Rose Marie was gravely ill, she had doubts as to whether she would recover. She said to me, “Whether the LORD comes for me or I go to Him, either way, I win.” That’s true of all of us who know Him; thus, we have to be patient and wait for His will to be activated. Patience strengthens the heart. Anxiety stresses the heart. When all has been said, James notes quite clearly, “the Coming of the LORD is at hand.”

Only yesterday I read about the advent of the 5G Wi-Fi network. The current 4G network is said to waste a lot of power and misses opportunity to link devices for greater and quicker communication. With the 5G network, there will be a huge surge in communication. It will be faster, available to more people, and will enable single cell phones to be located virtually anywhere in the world. It will appreciatably aid law-enforcement as it seeks those who have violated the law.

But there’s more. Some time ago, we were made aware of office workers who were getting chips implanted beneath their skin, so they could open secure doors without a key. Suppose those chips were implanted in people at large. Not only could their phones be located, THEY could be located anywhere in the world. There would be no place for them to hide. That is precisely what the Scriptures say will happen when the Anitchrist arrives on the scene and forces lost, unbelievers to take the Mark of the Beast.

All of this simply begs us to be patient, to strengthen our hearts with God’s Truth, and watch eagerly for the soon return of our LORD Jesus Christ. His Coming will be to take His people –all born-again, born-from-Above believers—from Earth to Heaven to live eternally with Him. Be sure you’re ready. If you’ve never truly been saved, repent of your sins and turn in faith to Him today. If you have been saved, give yourself to right living daily in order that you may not be ashamed when you come face-to-face with Him.

We are praying for you,

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,

James 4:13-17, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’

14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

15 Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.’

16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

Today is the last day of the year 2018. Many people will be examining their past and resolving to do differently in the coming year. It’s a noble gesture, but an intended resolution within itself is not sufficient. James notes for us the open determination of men who say, “This is what we’re going to do”; but they fail to take into account that life itself is not under their control. The most earnest intention that omits the LORD is doomed to failure. In fact, without inclusion of the LORD, man is simply boasting.

Mark (7:21-23) says, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

There are two basic words for evil in the New Testament: ????? (kakos), which deals with inward thoughts, which may be only known to the person who has such thoughts. Then, there is ??????? (poneros), which when made known to others, produces evil within them as well.

How then are we to activate our good intentions with all of this evil within us and surrounding us? We do right when we stay focused upon Him who IS right! Refuse to watch things that are evil; refuse to listen to things that are evil. Stay focused on Jesus and His Word! It is more than a “resolution”; it is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day focus. Satan is clever. He not only produces filth that masks and covers the will of God, he “feeds” it to us in small bites, one after the other, until we begin to like the “taste.” But in the end, we suffer loss, and he laughs at our weakened, spiritual situation.

Be smart! This new year could be our last on Earth. We will then stand before the LORD. What excuse will we give to Him when His instructions are so clear?

We love you and continue to pray for your spiritual growth,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

desire. If you do not wish to receive it, you may simply say so. I will not be offended. ~ 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,

Matthew 4:8-11, “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.’

10 “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’ 11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.”

Following Matthew’s account of Satan’s temptation of Jesus, we must first note that “the devil took Him…” Previously, the Holy Spirit had led Jesus up into the wilderness where He was to encounter and overcome tempation, proving Himself superior to all other powers. We surely cannoit believe –and I do not!—that the Spirit simply abandoned Jesus to the clutches of the devil.

But the passage does say, the devil took Him (??????????? paralambano, meaning to receive something or someone from another). It was as if a parent yielded a child briefly to someone else. It happens all the time, when parents allow a soccer or baseball coach to take nominal charge of their children for a specific purpose. Such is paralleled in the Holy Spirit lending Jesus to Satan for the specific purpose of the temptation, but standing close by to observe what would occur.

The kingdoms of the world were glorious! Such a thought reminds me of flying into Stockholm at night. The entire city was encircled by streetlights of various colors. It resembled a crown like a king would wear on a formal occasion. Fame, wealth, power, authority –all could be His for one small concession: just “fall down and worship” Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4).

Satan, as we observe him, never gives up in his effort to turn Jesus away from His Heavenly Father. Nor does he give up on us, as he plays the piper in the effort to seduce us away from truth, righteousness, and even from Jesus Himself. Yet, Jesus’ resistance and His resolve were superior. “Begone, Satan! Depart from me!

And relying once again upon the Scriptures, He shouted, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only!”

It was on October 29, 1941, at Harrow School in Great Britain, that Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the school saying, “…surely…this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never –in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” And so it must

always be with us.

James emphasizes not giving up when he writes, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). We can and we must. Never give up resisting! Never, never, never!

Prayerfully and lovingly yours,

Nana & Dado III

(Rose Marie & Gene)

Explanation: Yesterday’s letter was interrupted by an early phone call from Rose Marie.

Her INR had soared out of control and her HBG had dropped significantly (Medical

people will understand). She is currently in Regional hospital and has received

two units of blood. She is much better and will shortly be returning to rehab,

where she is making significant progress. Please just keep praying for her.

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 4:5-7, “Then the devil took Him into the holy city; and he had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God throw Yourself down; for it is written, “He will give His angels charge concerning You”; and “On their hands they will bear You up, Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.”’ 7 “Jesus said to him, ‘On the other hand, it is written, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”’”

Most sports games are won when the players simply will not give up! Their problem is that their opponents have the same mind-set and are determined not to give up, either. Satan had to know that he could not win against the Son of God; yet, he was stubbornly determined not to quit.

Jerusalem was (and is) the holy city. The pinnacle was simply the highest point. Exactly where it was located is not known, but my suspicion is that it was at the edge of Mount Moriah that overlooked the Kidron valley below. In any event, it constituted the precise place for Satan’s second temptation. “If You are the Son of God –and You are (as the Greek language informs us), throw Yourself down.” Satan here purposely misquotes Psalm 91:11-12, by omitting the phrase “in all Your ways.” What Satan was tempting Jesus to do was not “in (His) way”; it was not in His best interest, and it was not His Father’s will.

Satan‘s temptations are often the strongest immediately after we have experienced something remarkable in Jesus’ service. Remember, Jesus had just been called “the Son of God,” so Satan takes this opportunity to put him to the test. Satan often attempts to fill us with pride, vanity and self-conceit just when we have had a glorious experience in the LORD’s work. He endeavors to urge us to do something that is calculated to bring us down and lead us into sin.

It has also been said that some of the most powerful temptations of Satan occur when he appears to be urging us to do something for the glory of God. He wants us to believe that God always comes to the aid of His people when they are in danger. I can drive a car as fast as I like. God will protect me. And God can; but it’s not true that the promise is for those who purposely throw themselves into danger in the effort to prove He will come to their rescue.

Once again, Jesus’ reply to Satan was from Scripture. “It has been written and remains so, you shall not put the LORD your God to the test.” This emphasizes how vitally important Scripture is! So when you are tempted to do wrong, look to the Word of God in Scripture. “Feed,” as it were, the Holy Spirit with Scripture. It and prayer are the only way to nourish your spiritual life, and stay in the good graces of Almighty God. May He ever keep us close to Himself where we are safe.

Lovingly and prayerfully yours,

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.”