The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 12:41-44, “And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the multitude were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums.

42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.

43 And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury;

44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.’”

How do you measure value? Let’s say you’re hungry. One café has the more delectable food, but gives much smaller

portions. Where do you go? Let’s say you’ve found an item you always wanted. It’s for sale in two places, One costs more, but is offered with an extended warranty. How do you determine which is the best buy?

How do you value people? Is it by how much they have? or is it by their demeanor? In the workplace, let’s say, there’s a fellow, who rarely speaks to other workers, but he focuses intently on doing what he was hired to do. There’s another, who focuses more on his fellow workers, joking and laughing with them, more than upon turning out work. There is value in both, but which would you value the more?

True and valued friends are those who value us in return. They pray for us, meet our needs when we are unable, and value our prayers and concern for them, as well. Is Jesus such a friend to you? Are you such a friend to Him? Think about it. He lovingly gave His Life that we might know freedom and peace in the midst of a corrupt and evil generation. Do you have that peace? If not, maybe you need to review how you value things.

We value you and pray 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,

Mark 11:27-33, “And they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, and scribes, and elders came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?’

29 And Jesus said to them, ‘I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 ‘Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.’

31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” He will say, “Then why did you not believe him?” 32 ‘But shall we say, “From men”?– they were afraid of the multitude, for all considered John to have been a prophet indeed.

33 And answering Jesus, they said, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.’”

Sometimes it just better not to ask questions. Especially is this true when you’re trying to trap someone. The question of the Pharisees concerned authority. “By what authority are You doing these things…?” That’s the key question in just about everything these days. “Who told you to do that?” or “When did you become boss?”

Let’s suppose that you have discovered an error in the place where you work. Let’s suppose, too, that you have a pretty good idea who caused the error and why he did it. What are you to do? If you report the error, all of your fellow-workers will come down on you for being a snitch, a whistleblower! If you don’t report the error, you will be inviolation of the rules of the workplace and could suffer demotion or even lose your job.

This was the dilemma the Pharisees produced for themselves when they challenged Jesus. He simply turned the tables on them by saying, If you will answer me a question, I will answer yours. Now, they’re on the defensive. They huddle together and search for an answer. It must have been humiliating for them to have to say, “We do not know,” because they saw themselves as the authority over all legal matters. They were the high and might mukity-mucks. But they had to swallow their pride and admit defeat.

I submit that both of these situations –the biblical one and my work-place one– all come back to the matter of character –your character. James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

We dare not play fast-and-loose with clearly displayed rules. All authority ultimately is traceable back to God. What would Jesus do? becomes the all-important question. And when “push comes to shove,” what happens to us is not important. What reflects upon Him is! Old doctor Bob Jones, founder of Bob Jones University, used to say, “It’s never right to do wrong to do right.” In other words, just always do the right thing. It’s a matter of character; and that’s the basis upon which the LORD will ultimately bestow His reward.

You are ever and always in our 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,

Mark 11:9, 24-25, “And those who went before, and those who followed after, were crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord….

24 “Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.’”

When the multitude of the Jews cried, “Hosanna!” they were recognizing Jesus as their promised Messiah. The word “Hosanna” means “LORD, save us!” It’s a recognition and a cry we would do well to implement today. Thousands of people in our world are facing the cruel hand of death simply because they are Christians. And millions more are imprisoned by sin within themselves. Jesus is the Great Deliverer. He is the only one who can free us from bondages that imprison us.

Freedom from sin, however, comes at a price. First, we must pray in faith for deliverance. We must pray believing that we have already received that for which we’ve asked. That’s not easy. When we hurt physically, it’s not easy to believe that the hurt has gone away because we still feel it. When I was a child, I can remember having a bout with hick-ups. My grandfather said, “Look at me. You don’t have them! They’re gone!” Yet, while I protested that I still had them, they vanished. I’ll never forget how surprised I was. If my Dado could do that, what could the LORD not do?

So, belief, faith, trust (all the same word in Greek) must accompany our prayers. And for our prayers, to be effective, we must forgive everyone of every wrong they’ve said or done against us. Is that difficult? You bet it is! We always want to see them “paid back” for what they’ve done. But the Bible teaches that we are to “leave room for the wrath of God” (Rom. 12:19). Those “coals of fire” that we want to heap on the heads of our adversaries –they are not for us to use; they are God’s coals. “’Vengeance is Mine. I will repay,’ says the LORD.” That’s His business; ours is to forgive.

Search your heart. Ask yourself, “Are their grudges I am holding against anyone?” If there are, your prayers are being hindered. Moreover, your faith and trust in what the LORD can do –His saving; His deliverance —is being hindered. It’s not because He lacks power, it’s because your lack of forgiveness of those who have wronged you.

Clear this old debris out of your life! It’s clogging the channels of His blessing to you.

Lovingly and prayerfully yours,

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,

Mark 9:17-23, And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and stiffens out. And I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”

19 And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” 20 And they brought the boy to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling about and foaming at the mouth.

21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 “And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”

23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can!’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

Just the other day I received an email from a missionary. When he shook hands with the natives, he noticed that they all had but three fingers and a thumb on their right hands. He learned that they had all severed their little fingers to appease the evil spirits.

Evil spirits do exist! What’s sadly interestering is that we believe in evil spirits (Harry Potter, et al), but not so much in the Holy Spirit of God. The man in our verses above believed evil spirits were affecting his son. Indeed they were! They had taken residence in the boy since early childhood, so they were well intrenched. The father was concerned, as a good father always is. He brought the boy to Jesus, just as we seek help when some malady strikes our bodies or those of our loved ones.

What the father said, however, revealed a lack of true faith. “But if You can do anything…” Jesus repeatition of the man’s words, “If you can,” indicate His understanding of the man’s lack of faith. We’re like that, are we not? We speak boldly of the LORD’s power, but inwardly we harbor some doubt as to whether what we are asking will really be fulfilled.

I know I’ve told you in an earlier letter about how I used to rush home from school to hear a story on radio. There was no FM in those days, and on that day my radio was so filled with static that I could not understand what was being said. I was reared to believe that Jesus was all-powerful, and I believed it. So, I bowed my head and prayed for the static to be removed –and it was!!! In an instance, the radio was as clear as clear could be! I can remember that as if it were yesterday. As a boy, my mind was not encumbered with the doubts that come with adulthood. The LORD is no less powerful today than when I was a boy. “All things are (still) possible to him who believes.” Do you believe that? I hope yoo do!

Faithfully praying for you every day,

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,

Mark 9:2-7, “And six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;

3 and His garments became radiant and exceedingly white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them.

4 And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.

5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’

6 For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.

7 Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‘This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!’”

Were you ever in a group of people when you suddenly became aware that you were among some very notable individuals? “How on Earth could this be?” you thought. “I would not have believed this in a thousand years.”

And experience like that is one of the most overlooked and misunderstood accounts in Scripture — the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Jesus took his closest disciples, Peter, James and John, with Him and ascended to a high mountain. It was a place of elevation, a place of withdrawal from the hum-dum of the world, a place of quiet peace. It was there in the solitude of that place that Jesus’ eternal Self was revealed. It was His pure holiness over-shadowing His humanity. It was Jesus revealing Himself as very God.

Elijah and Moses were there, too. Elijah, one of the only two men to never experience death; and Moses, the Law-giver and leader of Israel, who died and was buried by the LORD Himself in a place unknown to all others. They were real in their audience with Christ. At the same time they represented those who die in the LORD (Moses) and those who will be caught up to meet Him in the Rapture of the Church (Elijah). Moses proves that there is life after death. Elijah proves that there will be a “catching up” of true believers before God’s destructive judgment upon the world and all who refused to accept Him.

Peter was always given to quick speech. It was not enough for him to be there and see this transfiguration of Jesus; he felt the impulse to say something, despite the fact that he didn’t know what to say. The truth was: the disciple were all terrified –scared to death! It was then that the Voice of God the Father spoke saying, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.”

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is coming back to take all true believers to be with Him in Heaven. Those who have died before He comes will be raised from their graves just as Moses was. Those who are alive when He comes will be “caught up to meet Him,” just as Elijah was in Old Testament times (2 Kings 2:11). The key question, therefore, is: are you a true believer in Jesus Christ? Have you truly been “born from above”? Have you asked Jesus into your life –to be your LORD and Savior?

If you’re not sure, take time time to sincerely pray this simple prayer:

“LORD, I know that I am a sinner. I know I’ve done many wrong things

in my life. I’m sorry for my sin. I know that Jesus loves me, and that He

died and rose again to save me from my sin. Right now, in my heart,

I willingly turn from my sin. And by faith, I receive the LORD Jesus Christ

as my Savior. Thank you, LORD Jesus, for saving me. Amen.”

We love you and pray 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.”