The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

Everything that occurs in our lives is known and allowed by the LORD for a purpose.

They are “burdens” or troubles that God has allowed. They are all different in their own way;

they fit His purpose for our lives. Just as in sports, each of us plays the position the coach assigns

us. It may not be our choice, but we are not the coach.

I remember a man who came to me with an earnest desire to witness to lost people. As we

talked, I said to him, “George, are you sure the LORD hasn’t called you to preach?” His reply

was, “Pastor, I would give anything in the world if He had called me to preach, but He hasn’t.”

Yet, that man witnessed to the lost more than many preachers. He had the position for which

the LORD had called him.

The psalmist says that we are to turn the “burdens” the LORD has called us to bear back on

Him. They are circumstanes that out-weigh our human abilities. If that is so, why does He give

them to us? His ways are not always known to us; He only promises that He will sustain us –He

will bear the burden and never allow us to slip or fail in the assignment. His strength is far above

ours. Remember that the burdens are His plan for us. He wants us to depend upon Him.

So, when things just seem beyond us – when they seem too heavy – the LORD is there to help!

It is His joy to see us depend upon Him. He never assigns us things we cannot do with His help.

Keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours,

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,

2 Thessalonians 2:2-4, “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him,

2 that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.

3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

One of the most vital things for all believers today is to always be saturated with God’s Truth! Be in a church where that Truth is proclaimed. Weigh everything you hear or read carefully and compare it with biblical Truth. There is a pastor in southern Arkansas (this is in the news) who is telling his people that Hell is a myth like Santa Clause. He is a deceiver! He has been led astray; now he is leading others astray.

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is dealing with misinformation someone has given them concerning “the day of the LORD.” That phrase depicts the day of God’s wrath that will fall upon all unbelieving people. Someone had misled the Thessalonian church, saying that that day of wrath had already come. Paul urges them not to be deceived. The Day of the LORD’s wrath will not come until “the apostasy comes.” The apostasy is mankind’s falling away from God’s Truth.

There’s a lot of that in our world today. They’re on radio, television, in blogs on the internet –they’re everywhere, proclaiming ideas that are contrary to the Bible! They’re not all scrufs. They come across as really knowing the Bible –but THEY DON’T!! They’re in it all for themselves, not for the glory of Christ!

These deceivers are setting everything up for the coming of the Antichrist. Thus, it is VITAL that you read the Bible daily and listen to sound instruction from godly pastors and teachers. The Holy Spirit lives within every born-again believer, and He will give you pause when you hear teaching that is contrary to Scripture. This is SO important! Just as you don’t want to discover that the airplane you’re on is going to a destination you did not intend, it is even more serious that you not be led astray from the teaching of the Bible. May the LORD lead you daily in His ways!

You are in our prayers; and we need to be in 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,

1 Thessalonians 5:14-23, “And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men.

15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.

16 Rejoice always;

17 pray without ceasing;

18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

19 Do not quench the Spirit;

20 do not despise prophetic utterances.

21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;

22 abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The airplane is ready for take-off. Your flight has been called. There’s not much time left. So, when you’re in a hurry, you say a lot of things quickly and without much elaboration. That’s what was occurring in Paul’s quick thoughts to the Thessalonians –and to us! “

Admonish (give instruction), encourage (give comfort), help (hold up), have patience (take time) with everyone. Don’t do evil toward those who do evil toward you! Always look for the best and share it with everyone. Rejoice, pray, give thanks to the LORD for everything! Don’t pour “cold water” on what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. Follow the Word of God, for it always agrees with the Spirit.

You’ll hear a lot of things from a lot of people. Some will be good; some will be bad. Examine everything carefully. Use the Bible to measure what you hear and read. The Holy Spirit will confirm what the Bible says, so you will know the Truth as God wants you to know it.

You can’t get too far away from evil. It’s like a raging fire –a horrible disease! And it comes in various forms, often looking like good candy. Don’t be fooled! It will destroy you and everything good that God has for your life. You can’t control it, however powerful you think you are. Trust the LORD. He warns against “playing with fire.”

God is a God of Peace and holiness. He will permeate (fill fully and completely) your life with Himself. Your spirit (that part of you that is God-conscious); your soul (that part of you that is self-conscious); your body (that part of you that is world-conscious) –every part, totally will be submerged in His purity and holiness, so that you will take on His likeness. That likeness will draw some people closer to you because they want what you have. Others will run from you, because they love their sin and want to rule their own lives. Our job is to be like Jesus, without blame. He is Coming again to take us to be with Him in Heaven. Work on getting ready. At any time, He may announce our departure.

Love and prayers for you 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.”

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

Every once in a while my wife will say, “I miss your folks.” I do, too, but we both have the assurance that we will see them one day. Hope is scripture means future certainty. Not eveyone has that. I remember so well a woman who passed out after viewing the body of a loved one in her casket. She was revived with smelling salts –and then passed out again! How often we wish we could get counsel from those who have died. We do our best to remember them and what they might have said to us in certain situations.

The Thessalonian believers were concerned about those who had died. Where are they now? Paul assures them (and us) that believing in Jesus’ death and resurrection is the guarantee that we will see other believers when Jesus returns to Earth again. Are you looking for that day? Do you live with the awareness that Jesus could come at any moment? He can!! I’ve heard two men say only recently, “I believe we’re living in the last of the Last Days.”

Paul says that Jesus will come with a “commanding shout” (keleusma), with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. The trumpet will give a frequency sound that only believers, living and dead, will hear and understand. And the power of Almighty God will raise the bodies of the dead believers from their graves. Body and soul will be united and all believers will be “snatched up” (harpazo) into the air to meet the LORD Jesus.

We all have friends who do not know Jesus as their LORD and Savior. Unless they come to know Him, they will be left behind to face the horrendous trouble that will then fall upon the Earth. More serious still, they will never be with us in Heaven, but will suffer the pain and agony of Hell for all eternity. Now is the time to reach them! Pray for them that they will forsake everything that holds them apart from Jesus. Pray that they will believe upon Him as their LORD and Savior. Only then will they hear His trumpet when He comes.

We love you and pray for you and for our unbelieving friends,

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,

Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Mollie Tibbitts, the 20-year-old Iowa college girl has been missing for four weeks now. One account says there are 40 some FBI agents plus local law enforcement personnel diligently searching for her, but without success thus far.

Imagine the difficulty her parents and family have confidently embracing Paul’s admonition: “Rejoice in the LORD!” Still, His presence is always near us. Whatever difficulties we encounter, we are not alone! It is imperative that we maintain a positive attitude that indicates our trust in the LORD. I can only imagine that there are those who have demonstrated grief and despair. But the love of parents and true friends will never give up hope that she will be found alive.

We who know the LORD will always demonstrate His kind and gentle spirit. Don’t possess or express anxiety about anything. Just keep on praying to the LORD for help with an attitude of thankfulness. God is a God of peace –peace that is beyond our imagination or understanding. His peace will control our thoughts, keeping them on Him rather than upon the circumstances that trouble us. How can we rejoice in the midst of such trouble? We can by maintaining the focus and trust of our thoughts upon Christ Jesus!

May the LORD bless you is our prayer,

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.”