The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Peter 3:3-4; 10-11, “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation…’

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the Earth and its works will be burned up.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness…?”

I don’t remember hearing much about the Coming of the LORD when I was a kid. I cannot remember ever hearing a sermon from the Book of Revelation. The pastors I remember were not really educated men. It was not their fault; they just didn’t know how to properly study God’s Word. And some things in the Bible are very difficult to discern!

Peter himself was not an educated man. Remember, he was only a fisherman. The only biblical education he had came from Jesus; yet Jesus Himself was the Master Teacher! But when pastors and teachers do not understand the

Bible, they avoid teaching things they do not understand, and the rest of us grow up not understanding, too. Peter is clear in saying that “mockers” (empaiktes, unbelievers, including false teachers) will say, Everything’s just like it has been for many and many a year. When, if ever, is He coming?

Peter knew that patience is required to catch fish; so also, patience is required with regard to the Coming of the LORD. And when He comes, you will KNOW IT!! His righteous judgment will fall upon the whole Earth and even the heavens above. Intense heat will consume the Earth and everything man has built for himself. We cannot stop what God has decreed He will do; but we can live holy and godly lives until He comes for us before He destroys all He has made! A man may build a house and, for some reason, choose to destroy it. But, a loving parent will not allow his children to be consumed in the flames. So it is with Jesus! His judgment is not for His children; it is for those who have mocked Him, His Word, and His provision for man’s salvation. Live righteously! He could come at any moment.

We pray earnestly every day for you,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 3:10-12, “Let him who means to love life and see good days Refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile.

11 “And let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

12 “For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Whatever the situation, we’ve all heard someone say, “I just can’t do it!” But the truth is we can all do much more

than we think. The LORD has created us with a will; so, it’s not that we cannot do things, it’s that we don’t think we

can. Drinkers say they just cannot stop drinking. Gamblers say they are “hooked” and just cannot stop gambling.

Yet, the truth is they can! They just don’t want to quit.

Peter says if we love life and will to have good days, we have to stop using evil and salacious words and stop lying.

Ever wonder why your prayers are not answered? Take some thoughts about how you live and speak. We all have

a tendency toward evil. We inherited that from Adam, and the tendency to do wrong is still with us even after we

have trusted Christ Jesus as our Savior. But the Holy Spirit, who lives within us is greater than the powers of Satan,

who wants us to continue down that evil and godless pathway. We are not spiritual robots! We have a will; and it

is either for or against the will of the Spirit.

The LORD sees and hears everything we think or do. If we want peace in our lives, we have to pursue it –put it to flight! There’s an old saying, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” We can will

to stop thinking and doing those things we know are contrary to the LORD’s will. You will be amazed at how much

He will help when you show you mean business with Him!

We love you and pray for His will to be accomplished in all of us,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 2:21-25, “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for

by His wounds you were healed.

25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

Heroes have been around forever. Sports heroes, musical heroes, scientific heroes, political heroes –they have all demonstrated abilities we like, and we seek to pattern our lives after them. Who is your hero? Those who stand

out, however, are those whom we’ve met and those who have touched our lives in unique ways. The greatest

hero to all of us, however, is the one who risked his life to save ours. The swimmer, the doctor, the neighbor, that

first responder – they are the true heroes!

Yet, when all of those life-saving heroes have been named, there is One who rises above them all: Jesus Christ!

He suffered for us and became our Supreme Example in all things. And as a teacher exposes us to information

with the hope we will follow it, Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are His example for us to follow. Think about it:

1.He never committed a single sin.
2.He was ever and always thoroughly honest.
3.He was always gentle, and never abused those who abused Him.
4.He never threatened to “get even” with anybody for anything.
5.He always trusted His Heavenly Father and did His will.
6.He took every person’s sin upon Himself and died for them on the Cross.

Whoa! If He died for every person’s sin, then everyone is saved, right? Wrong! Think of it this way: everyone’s

house has electricity, right? But before the electricity runs the TV, the washing machine, the lights, they have to

be “plugged into” the outlet. The electricity is available, but electrician things have to be connected (plugged in) to

run like they were designed to run. It’s much the same with Jesus.

He died on the Cross to save you from sin and Hell. His Resurrection proves the value of His death for you. Now, you have to believe on Him and what He did. You have to repent (change your mind; confess your sins to Him) and trust Him to save you and guide your life from here on out. It’s not just being “religious”; it’s being Christian (Christ-like).

You march to the beat of a different drummer. The LORD Jesus Christ is now the Shepherd (Leader) and

Guardian (watchman) over your life and your eternal soul. Sound good? It’s the only sure way.

Our love and prayers for you are directed to Him for your good,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 2:18-20, “Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”

How often do you think of yourself as a “servant”? My guess is: more often than you think of yourself as a master.

I just counted and discovered that I’ve spent 66 years as a student in formal education. (You’d think I would know more than I do!) Yet, it each of those years, I was a “servant”; my teachers were my “masters.” Masters are those in authority. It does not necessarily mean they know more, but it does mean they have been given control, as long as you are in their class.

Have you ever been sick, so that you had to go to the doctor? You were his servant; he was your master. Has your car ever needed repair? You were the master, so far as to where to go for that repair; but, when you put your car in the mechanic’s hands, he became the master and you were his servant. “Ah,” you say, “but what about the police?”

No policeman is in control of you unless or until you break a law. At that point, he becomes your master. At the same time, he has officers above him, so he is simultaneously a servant and a master.

We’ve all had masters who were harsh and ugly to us at times. Peter says we are still to be submissive to them. They may not deserve respect, but we are to respect them and their authority anyway. Passing through the gate at an army base, the guard salutes his superiors. They have identification on their vehicles that he sees and respects. A guard once told me that while he might not have personal respect for an officer, he nevertheless respected his rank. That’s what Peter meant when he said, “for the sake of conscience toward God.” It’s easy to be nice to masters we like, but when we are respectful to those we don’t like, we “find favor toward God.” And when all is said and done, isn’t what pleases and honors the LORD what it’s really all about?

We honor Him by remembering you in our daily prayers,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”

Dear Grands,

1 Peter 1:3-5, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Have you ever wondered what Heaven will be like? —a place of purity, wholesomeness, free from pain and troubles of every kind. Just being there seems sufficient, yet Peter says the LORD has an inheritance for each of us — for each of us, who have been born again, that is. To those of us who have believed upon Jesus and committed our lives to Him by faith, we have been born again to a “living hope.” Hope in Scripture means future certainty. It’s not a “maybe so” thing. It is an absolutely certain thing! The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead gives us that assurance.

But, what is this inheritance? It’s apparently a surprise. And it’s a valuable surprise because it is protected (guarded)

just as we are by the power (miraculous might and strength) of almighty God. One of the joys of receiving a gift is the anticipation of it. What can it be? Will it be what I have wanted all along? Remember those days at Christmas? Well, just being with Jesus, who gave His life for our sins, will be more than sufficient. After all, is not the Giver greater than the gift? Yet, there will be the joy of reunion with loved ones who have gone on before us; the instantaneous knowledge of things we’ve never before understood; the fellowshipping with the saints of all ages! And there will be the meeting of those who are there because of our witness to them! Music and colors that exceed the vividness of our imaginations! Just think about it! WOW!

We love and pray for you daily,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”