The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 12:5-11, “For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.”

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?

8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.

11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

In case you missed it, the key word throughout this passage is discipline. Eight times in these seven verses, Paul

emphasizes discipline. The word “discipline” comes from the word “disciple,” which means “learner.” We are taught by

our parents; and their teaching –discipline—is for our good. As we grow older, we learn to discipline ouselves. When I

was a boy, my mother would awaken me when it was time for me to get out of bed. She would set before me on the

table food for my body’s benefit. As I grew older, I had responsibilities; therefore, I awoke and got out of bed to attend

to those responsibilites. As a child, my mother laid out the clothes I was to wear that day. As I grew older, I chose my

own clothes. All of that resulted from discipline.

God disciplines us because He loves us. He is training us to be like Himself. It is to our advantage to follow His

discipline. The things for which He disciplines us are not always easy or pleasant. That is because we do not yet

understand His ultimate purpose with us. Schools require discipline, and we are in the LORD’s school. We are to be

disciplined to read and understand His Word. What we are taught from Scripture, we are to live out in our daily lives.

Learning anything requires dedicated attention. It’s often unpleasant because it interrupts what we want to do. Yet,

later we will come to understand the value of doing everything the LORD’s way.

Our nation is in trouble today because we have neglected the LORD’s discipline. Young people run in gangs because

their parents neglected to teach them how to behave in life. Eventually, even gang members will become parents, and

they will neglect their children just as their parents neglected them. Do you see where this is leading? It’s so bad now,

that even teachers are advocating giving all students the same grade. This is the LACK of discipline! And those who

slid by without rules to keep them in check will ultimate become our doctors, pastors, congressmen and Supreme

Court Justices!! What a mess!! So, get with it! Get with Him! Read and study His Word! Be disciplined, so that you

will be a competent leader and teacher. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Pro. 14:34).

Praying for you daily is one of our disciplines,

Nana & 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 6:39, “And this is the will of Him who sent Me,

that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing…”

Have you ever been lost? Well, I have, and a number of times. I’ve always had a pretty good sense of

direction, but I can remember being lost at night in a car in what I would call “foreign territory.” Scheduled

to preach at a church where I had never been, a friend offered to ride with me and show me the way. I

arrived on time at his house only to be told that he was not able to go. “Just take that road,” he said, “and

you’ll come right to it.” What else could I do? I was lost before I started. Add to that, it was raining! Eventually,

I arrived at the church, but not before being lost several times en route.

So much for directional lostness. Have you ever lost your courage? or your resources? or your thoughts?

or your friend? Yes, I plead guilty to each of the above. It’s hard to differentiate between the value of these

losses. Each has its own value. Where they congeal is in the person of our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

He is the one who rescues us from all our losses. Our verse above confirms it. It is His will that nothing He

has given us will be lost! Count on it! Believe me when I say that everything I once thought was a loss, He

turned into a gain. Trusting Him is a “win-win” situation! It’s hard at the time. It seems impossible to turn it

around. But, that’s what He does. He wants us to be dependent on Him and on Him alone!

In a final analysis, the losses we encounter in life just may be allowed in order that we might learn to

depend solely on Him. Yes, we’re human and sometimes our emotions are raw. But “all things are working

together for our good” when they work for His glory. It all becomes a matter of faith. David recommends

faith when he says, “I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken…”

(Ps. 37:25).

You are remembered in our daily prayers,

Nana & 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,

Jeremiah 33:3, “’Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

James 4:2c-3a, “You do not have because you do not ask…You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives,”

If you need anything, just give me a call. You know where I am. How many times have you had someone say this to you? But when you called, they did not answer or did not return you call. Were they really sincere? Or was it just someone “blowing smoke,” as it were? It sounded big and encouraging at the time, but fizzled out when the need was real.

Jeremiah was imprisoned when the LORD said to him, “Call to Me, and I will answer you.” The LORD already knew his situation and his needs. He was ready and available, but the first move was Jeremiah’s. How much we miss because we fail to call on the LORD! For one thing, we don’t know how much we don’t know. What about those guys who said to call them? They spoke big, but when you called, they didn’t answer. The simple answer is: we called the wrong person. Yet, you say, “But I did call! I called the LORD! I poured out my heart to Him, but He didn’t answer either.” What could be wrong?

It’s interesting how the answer to Old Testament questions are often found in the New Testament. James’ answer to our dilemma is two-fold: first, “You do not have because you do not ask…“ ”But, I have!” you say. “I have asked again and again. Why am I not hearing from God?” James then concludes that you “do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.” Think about it: Why do you ask what you ask? Is it for the LORD’s glory, or is it simply a selfish, self-serving request? Examine your motives carefully. Why do I want what I’m asking the LORD to give?

It’s embarrassing to say, but I once saw a car that I just couldn’t do without! I reckoned that with this nice, big sleek auto –and it was nice!– I could better witness to people about the LORD. Can you imagine anything so dumb? What would the possession of a car –any car—have to do with witnessing to others? Absolutely nothing! My motive was simply an excuse to get what I wanted. How did it all work out? Well, I got the car. It was nice; but I sort of forgot about the witnessing thing. As for the car itself, it would pass anything on the road, except the gasoline stations! It cost me money! I learned an expensive lesson. So, check your motives. Then, call on the LORD. He does know a lot more than you do! And He will “tell you great and mighty things, which you do not (currently) know.” God bless you!

Prayerfully yours always,

Nana & 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,

Psalm 71:17-18, “O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth;

And I still declare Thy wondrous deeds.

18 And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,

Until I declare Thy strength to this generation, Thy power to all who are to come.”

It is the nature of young people to ahead in anticipation of what is to come.

It is the nature of old people to look back upon what has and has not been

accomplished in their lifetime.

David was reared in a godly home. His parents taught him the ways of the LORD.

As he grew older, the LORD Himself taught David, and he grew to be “a man

after God’s own heart.” He declared the LORD’s wondrous works to all with

whom he came into contact. As he writes this psalm, he is still in his prime, for

he anticipates that he will one day be “old and gray.”

I currently correspond with others who, like myself, are “old and gray.” It is

interesting to hear their stories –men, some of whom I’ve never known, but with

whom I now have contact because my age is within their realm. None of them

have forsaken the LORD. Nor has He forsaken them! Their work continues; they

are praising the LORD despite troubles and health issues that have encompassed

their lives. One elderly scholar is continuing to translate the Greek Scriptures!!

Others continue to preach and/or write books.

It is the responsibility of each generation to work diligently in sharing the Gospel.

We who are elderly have witnessed the power and glory of the LORD in our

lifetime. Now, we are seeking to share Him and His workings with the young.

Let me urge those of you who are young(er) to learn all you can of the LORD.

For the mantle of responsibility will soon be yours alone.

We love you unreservedly, and pray for you incessantly,

Nana & 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,

Genesis 8:15-19, “Then God spoke to Noah, saying,

16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.

17 “Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him.

19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families

from the ark.”

first time in all of Scripture that the word “family” appears. The ark was designed to protect the family of Noah

from the judgmental flood that the LORD was determined to bring upon the Earth. Today, the family is under

attack from a flood of satanic evil unlike anything the world has ever experienced. The fires of the god Molech

in which parents sacrificed their children have reached our 21st century. Divorce, abortion, abandonment and

political expediency have replaced Molech’s fires. Who really cares for children today?

When I was a child, we used to have family reunions. They were never to us kids what they were to our parents,

because we had no idea who the other kids were, but our parents mingled and talked with those they knew and

were introduced to others they had not known or had not seen in years. I remember many gatherings at gravesites

of departed family members –many of whom I had no knowledge at all. But funerals and burials were occasions for families to reunite. Such occasions are fewer today. The concerns of the past are slipping from our culture. Yet, the LORD is working to preserve families. When storms approach, animals gather with those of their own for protection.

It used to be that way with the human family.

We cannot control everything that occurs within our human families. But we can control some factors by allowing

the LORD to control us, our attitudes, and our love toward others. Work diligently to protect your family. For He is

just as concerned for families today as He was in Noah’s day. The LORD is our ark of safety and preservation.

Yield yourself to His call upon your life. That is your responsibility for preserving your family.

We pray for you and your family; we appreciate your prayers for us as well,

Nana & 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.”