The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 8:15-21, “And He was giving orders to them, saying, ‘Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.’

16 And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.

17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, ‘Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart?

18 ‘Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember,

19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?’ They said to Him, “Twelve.”

20 ‘And when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?’ And they said to Him, “Seven.”

21 And He was saying to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?’”

Where is the screwdriver? I can’t find a single paper clip! What on Earth did you do with it?

The nondescript frustrations we encounter often lead to conflict and blame. We focus on the menial, insignificant things instead of those things that really matter.

Jesus was warning His disciples of some fundamental dangers linked to the Pharisees and to Herod. The disciples were worried that they had only one loaf of bread to eat. Have you ever noticed how “important” eating is to us? We set aside the truly important things and concern ourselves with where and what we’re going to eat.

Jesus treated the disciples like the children they were: you have eyes, don’t you see? You have ears, don’t you hear? Can’t you remember? We just saw 5,000 people fed with five loaves and 4,000 with seven; and you picked up twelve baskets full from the one and seven from the other. “Do you not yet understand?”

All of this should speak to us. Some things matter; some things don’t. Jesus is our ultimate provider. He loves us and He is capable and disposed to give us all good things. David said,

“I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or His descendants begging bread” (Ps. 37:25). Count your blessings! Stop being worried about menial things. If you can’t find the tools you need, you don’t need them. If you have to go without eating once or twice, you won’t die. Look up, not down! Be positive, not negative!

Laughter will keep you from crying. Just focus on Jesus, and you will do well.

Prayerfully and lovingly 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 7:6-8, “And He said to them, ‘Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. 7 But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.” 8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”’”

“Wash your hands and get ready for dinner!” Those words from my mother still ring in my ears! She probably wouldn’t have had to say that to the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They were

constantly washing everything: their hands, their feet, their cooking utensils, the table and benches that held the food. In our view today, they cleansed to excess. Still, they were not cleaning things to eliminate germs; it was an external religious ritual that they viewed as an act of worship toward God.

A careful reading of this passage tells us that Jesus was not-at-all against cleanliness; He was much more interested in the attitude of men’s hearts. Many religions today engage in external rituals, thinking that they are honoring God. With many of them, the god they honor is not the God we know and revere.

Ministers, teachers, professors all need to be careful that they not mingle external rituals with inward faith. Those who are under their teachings need also to weigh what they are taught against the Word of God because some men teach things that are merely human traditions as spiritually required doctrines of God.

We are truly living in “the Last Days.” Corruption in teachings, and in morals, could hardly descend to a lower level. Keep your heart clean and honor the LORD Jesus Christ with your life and words. When the heart is right, the hands will be clean in His sight.

We love and pray 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 6:47-52, “And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were frightened. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”

When will we learn? We take instruction from those who do, but never seem to grasp the fundamentals. “I’m just not a ‘math person,’” we say; or “I’ve never understood the principles of science. It’s just not my thing.”

The life of Jesus Christ overflowed with acts of mercy. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead. He had just fed a multitude of people, using only five small pieces of bread and a few tiny fish. His disciples witnessed these miracles, yet when later they saw Him walking on the water, they perceived it to be a ghost, and were literally “scared to death.” They just never seemed to understand.

Aren’t we like that? If we take the time –ah, that’s part of our trouble: we live in the fast lane. We see, but quickly forget. There’s so much to interest us that we skip the “whys” in preference for the next keen item of attraction. We need to slow down and examine how the LORD is working in our lives. My guess is that the vast majority of Christian people don’t read more than a few verses from the Bible in a week. Maybe it’s less than that. How can we learn anything if we don’t devote some serious time to examining it?

What is said of those New Testament disciples can be said of us: “they had not gained any insight” from the miracles in their recent past. It’s not wrong for us to learn science or math from those who understand it. It’s not wrong to seek out doctors when we are sick. But we must always look beyond the human persons involved and view Jesus as the ultimate Author and Authority. “Slow down and smell the roses.” Remember that the “whats” in life will lead us to the “whys.” We gain true, spiritual insight when we see and understand Jesus.

We love you and hold you 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 4:35-41, “And on that day, when evening had come, He said to them, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’

36 And leaving the multitude, they took Him along with them, just as He was, in the boat; and other boats were with Him.

37 And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

38 And He Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’

39 And being aroused, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Hush, be still.’ And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

40 And He said to them, ‘Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?’

41 And they became very much afraid and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?’”

Do you ever tired? I mean, so tired that you just fall asleep? Have you ever been so tired that you slept through a storm and didn’t know that it had rained at all until you awoke the next morning? I have. It’s a “human thing” to do. Yes, Jesus is God; but He is also human. And teaching all day as he had (read the whole chapter), He did the “human thing” and fell asleep in the boat.

Storms occur quite often on the Sea of Galilee, sometimes quite spontaneously. Winds were fierce, and waves of water were splashing over and into the boat. Jesus was asleep in the stern, and the disciples were afraid. So they awakend Him, alerting Him to the situation. Siopao! Phimoo! Be silent! Be muzzled! And with two words He stilled the storm and peace prevailed like a warm blanket on a cold night.

“Why are you so fearful,” He asked. “Do you possess no faith?” John, who was on that boat that night, later wrote, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith” (1 Jn. 5:4).

Whatever storms you may encounter, faith in the authority of Christ will deal with it.

“But, I’ve tried that,” you say, “and I’m still in the storm.” Remember that His ways and His purposes are not always known to us. I don’t have to know how or why a surgeon does what he does, I just have to have faith in the surgeon. So it is with the LORD. Read His Word! Repent of all known sin in your life! Rely totally upon Him! “He has done all things well” (Mk. 7:37).

Prayerfully and lovingly 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,

Romans 12:19-21, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.’

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

It’s really too bad that I’ve had to live so long to understand how much wisdom my mother had. She was not a philosopher; she was a teacher, and she poured so much of what she knew into me – yet, the obstreperous youth that I was, I seethed to get even with those who did me wrong.

My dad’s father was a blacksmith. He had discovered just the right moment to temper steel, so that it lasted longer for its intended purpose. When I left home to start life on my own, my dad said to me, “Son, remember, a man is like steel: he has to have temper to be any good, but never any good if he loses it.”

Obviously, I have never forgotten both instructions, but my intemperate self, when wrongly treated, longs to “heap burning coals on the heads” of my opponents.

What does it mean to “heap burning coals” on the head of someone?

The Old Testament says, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you” (Prov. 25:21-22). Paul, in the wisdom given him, says that getting even with an opponent is God’s business, not ours. That hurts, because it always “feels good” to best those who do us wrong. But it’s not the way to win!

The wisdom of still another says,

Vengeance may break a man’s spirit; but kindness will always break

his heart. If we are kind to our enemies, it will heap coals of fire on their heads. It’s not that that will store up further punishment for them, but that

it will move them to burning shame. Evil can never be conquered by evil. Hatred met with hatred, only increases more hatred; but if hatred and injustice are met with love, we will have discovered the antidote to the poison.

The only true way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend; and the LORD’s love is the key to that.

We are praying for wisdom for us all,

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.”