The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 118:5-8, “From my distress I called upon the LORD;

The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.

6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me?

7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;

Therefore, I shall look with satisfaction on those who hate me.

8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”

It has largely slipped from the news these days, but just nine day ago, on the 17TH of

November, a 20-something young man, named John Allen Chou, was killed by the

Sentinelese tribe, who live in the midst of the Andaman Sea. They have always

resisted everything from the outside world; and we can only believe that the LORD

had given this burden to John to reach them, as He has to many over the years.

Daivd, too, was in distress for his life. He called upon the LORD for help, and the

LORD answered his prayers. He had previousl been restricted, where his enemies

could easily harrass him, but the LORD now set him in “a large place,” free from

his enemies. He was no longer constricted; he had liberty –room to breathe.

David’s fears, too, were gone. “What can man do to me?” he shouted. The LORD

was clearly on his side. Oh, he had friends that helped him, too. We should never

neglect the help and concern of friends. But, when true, born-again friends show

help to us, we should know that it is the LORD within them that originates their help.

All of that dispels the fear and hatred David had toward those who would have

done him in, if only they could have. The LORD was now David’s protector. His

conclusion, therefore, was that “it is better to take refuge in the LORD than to

trust in man.” That’s pretty good advice for all of us. We are indeed thankful for

our friends, but we have a Friend “who sticks closer than a brother” (Pro. 18:24).

By the way, Psalm 118:8 is the center verse of the Bible. Do you reckon that it’s

there to remind us that God is to be the center of all that we are and do? Humm…

We love and pray for you every day,

Nana & Dado III

P. S. Rose Marie continues to progress, albeit slowly. Your prayers for her are deeply

appreciated.

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.”

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 116:12-19, “What shall I render to the LORD For all His benefits toward me?

13 I shall lift up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the LORD.

14 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His godly ones.

16 O LORD, surely I am Thy servant, I am Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid,

Thou hast loosed my bonds.

17 To Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And call upon the name of the LORD.

18 I shall pay my vows to the LORD, Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,

19 In the courts of the LORD’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!”

One of life’s greatest joys is giving. It’s a natural joy, of course, to be given something; but

true joy lies in giving to others. But, what can we give to someone who has everything?

This was David’s delimma. The LORD had so benefited him; and he wanted to express

his gratitude for all the LORD had done. We have that same stirring within us. The LORD

has blessed us in so many ways –far more than we can count. Now, what can we do in

return?

Lifting up “the cup of salvation” is an outward, formal act whereby he praises the LORD

and acknowledges His deliverence from some deibilitation, such as a sickness. It is a

public declaration that everyone experiences: this is what the LORD has done!

The death of a saint –a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, who is deeply devoted to

the LORD—is precious, like costly jewels, to the LORD. It is of extreme value to the LORD.

Barnes expresses it so very well:

“God saw that the death of one of his friends was a matter of so much importance

that it should occur only when the most good could be affected by it, and when the

ends of life had been accomplished; that God would not decide on this hastily, or

without the best reasons; and that, therefore, he had interposed to lengthen out his

life still longer. Still, there is a general truth implied here, to wit, that the act of removing

a good man from the world is, so to speak, an act of deep deliberation on the part of

God; that good, and sometimes great, ends are to be accomplished by it.”

However close to the LORD we are, we have an obligation to praise Him for His multiple

deliverences of our lives. Moreover, we have a decided obligation to pay the vows we promised

when we laid on that bed of severe affliction: “Oh, LORD, if only You will remove this illness

from me, I will –” Now, it is payday! And we are to acknowledge the LORD’s deliverence

publicly, “in the presence of all His people.” We always look to Him for deliverences. Now, He

looks to us for a “Thank You, LORD.” Have you thanked Him lately?

We love you and thank the LORD for you daily,

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 109:1-4, “O God of my praise, do not be silent!

2 For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me;

They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,

And fought against me without cause.

4 In return for my love they act as my accusers;

But I am in prayer.”

Things are going well. You are surrounded by friends, who have trouble,

but you are ministering to them as best as you know how, showing love

and encouragement as best as you can. Then, in a flash, they turn on you!

They become hateful and look upon you with disdain. They spread lies

about you and do everything they possibly can to cause you trouble.

Whatever has caused this? “What have I done?” you ask. No one will

say; they simply treat you as if you had a contagious disease. They

gather in small groups at work, at church, in the restaurant –everywhere!

They look ascanse at you and buzz something among themselves. They

seem to delight in tantalizing you. WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON?

What you’re experiencing is not new. Many have experienced the same.

Who knows how it all started? Who knows how long it will go on?

David had such an experience, and he wrote the words above amidst his

trials and tribulations. He had shown nothing unto others except love.

And in return…this!

There was only one thing David could do: he resorted to prayer. He

brought his case before the Judge of the Universe. Where better to go?

We short-change the power of prayer. We look instead for somethinng

we can do. But there is nothing we can do. We need help; and the LORD

is our best and only source. David pleads with the LORD to avenge him

of his adversaries. He’s pretty desperate, as depicted in his ongoiing

words. Imprecation is the act of cruel judgment upon someone; and

David invokes the LORD to exercise His royal judgment against his

adversaries. It’s a natural reaction of a desperate person: Show ‘em, LORD!

Whether David is asking in love is debatable. The One whom he is asking

is without question correct. So, the next time you find yourself in a quandry,

go directly to the LORD! Don’t try to figure everything out. Just pray! The

LORD has the answer to everything. He may even be using the trouble

to bring you closer to Him.

We pray for you, and earnestly seek your prayers for us,

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 106:8-15, “He saved them for the sake of His name, That He might make His power known.

9 Thus He rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up; And He led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.

10 So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

11 And the waters covered their adversaries; Not one of them was left.

12 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise.

13 They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel,

14 But craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert.

15 So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them.”

Have you not noticed that when people encounter trouble they inevitably cry, “Oh, my God”?

Interestingly, they cry that, but they have never praised Him for His goodness. They do not

know Him, yet instinctively they cry “my God!”

Think of the most devastating event you have ever faced in your life. Like those just mentioned,

you cried out to God. You confessed your sins and promised never to engage in them again.

You claimed you would break with sin and forever be what He wanted you to be. Remember?

Graciously, the LORD forgave you and erased the trouble that surrounded you. Ah, all was

then well. The grief that thundered against your life was replaced with peace – His peace.

You said, “Thank You” to the LORD. Then, what happened?

You “quickly forgot His works”; you “did not wait for His counsel.” Instead, you lapsed back

into your old ways. Those things you faithfully pledged to renounce, you engaged in again. It

was as if the LORD would not know. The crisis had passed and you had returned to your old

ways.

In time, you needed His help again. This time, you did not confess having strayed from Him

and His counsel. You simply prayed as if your relationship with Him was the same as when

you had confessed your sin. It was as if you thought He did not know –did not remember.

Suprisingly, He answered your prayer and provided Divine Assistance to your crisis. You

thought all was well between you and God. But there was a consequence you had overlooked—

a consequence He had not overlooked, and He “sent a wasting disease” into your life.

Translations differ on what “wasting disease” or “leanness of soul” (KJV) mean. Whatever

translation is the closest to the Hebrew, it means a severe consequence; loss of a job; loss of

money, sickness, accidents, death –all troubles that pour into your life like an avalanche!

Why? Because you tried to out-smart God. It just cannot be done! No matter how smart, how

well educated, how financially secure, how highly esteemed among your peers you are, you

cannot sin and get by. It may look for a time that God has forgotten. He has not! His memory

extends from before Creation and to forever. He paid for your sins –all of them– at Calvary.

But you must now live for Him every moment of every day. He loves you, and He has a divine

purpose for your life. Don’t miss it! You cannot win without Him.

We think and pray for you always,

Nana & Dado III

P. S. Rose Marie had her best day yesterday! She is now eating well, gaining strength, and returning

to her humorously mischievous ways. She is receiving praise from her health providers and from

her loving family, who visit her and pray for her recovery. We all thank you for your continuing

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,

Today is Thanksgiving! But do you ever get the sense that Thanksgiving is sort of “crowded out”? You know, Christmas is coming, and with the emphasis on the materialization of Christmas, decorations are up and store shelves are filled with trinkets and glitter before Thanksgiving even arrives. It ought to make us question whether we are truly thankful, and if so, for what are we thankful?

There are seven words in our English Bible that have the root “thanks” within them. The word “Thanksgiving” is mentioned 28 times in Scripture. Only four times is “Thanksgiving” (singular) mentioned in the New Testament; and each of the four relates only to God.

2 Corinthians 9:11, “…you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which

through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude

of thanksgiving;

Revelation 7:12, “…saying, ‘Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving

and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’”

Thankfulness to God is ingrained in the very foundation of our American nation!

The origin of Thanksgiving by our forebears humbly acknowledged their heartfelt gratitude for God’s many blessings upon His people and our nation. The earliest recorded observance of thanksgiving occurred in Virginia in 1607. The celebration we now regard as the “First Thanksgiving” was the Pilgrims’ three-day feast celebrated in early November of 1621.

Immediately upon landing in America, the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service, then quickly turned to building shelters and planting. At the end of a bountiful harvest, they feasted together and offered praise to the LORD of the harvest.

The first Thanksgiving Proclamation was authored by Samuel Adams and issued by the revolutionary Continental Congress on November 1, 1777. It was one sentence of 360 words.

Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received…. together with penitent confession of their sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor; and their humble and earnest supplications that it may please God through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance….

The predominant question is: Are we genuinely thankful? Do we recognize the Divine Hand of God, who

loves us and protects us? In recent storms and fires throughout our land, people have said, “Thank God

we were spared.” When we escape serious trouble, we generally say “Thank God.” But, is that true

thanksgiving?

For what should we be most thankful? Perhaps the words of President Abraham Lincoln express it best.

“When I left Springfield [to become President] I asked the people to pray for me. I was not a Christian. When I buried my son, the severest trial of my life, I was not a Christian. But when I went to Gettysburg and saw the graves of thousands of our soldiers, I then and there consecrated myself to Christ.”

For those of us who know and have accepted Jesus Christ, HE is foremost in our hearts! It is He

who died for us and arose from the dead, forgiving our sins and placing His Holy Spirit in in our lives.

Thank You, LORD, for all You have done!

Please pray for Rose Marie. She is resisting the food she must ingest for strength that will lead to

safe release. Thank you!

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.”