The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Ephesians 6:10-13, “Finally, (my brother) be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

It is not difficult to understand Paul’s instructions in this passage. When the weather is cold, we dress against that cold. My mother used to say, “Don’t forget your cap.” She wanted me to be fully clothed against the elements. Paul uses an imperative form of the verb: be strong! Be spiritually strong in the power and might of the LORD! He follows that instruction by paralleling it with the full preparation of a foot soldier.

Times change, but we still work to protect our military with the best dress for defense! Even our police are now clothed with defensive dress, as they face increasing street warfare with those intent upon evil in our current society. Paul parallels this with the spiritual characteristics of the believer, because the Christian is in continual conflict with spiritual evil on every hand. Paul’s specific mention of rulers, powers, world forces, and spiritual forces of wickedness connote four classes of evil spirits operating in every age and in every area of human society. Make no mistake, Christian believers are in a “battle royal” throughout the entire world.

Once again, Paul uses the imperative: “take up the full armor of God!” It’s not optional. You’ve got to be protected. And the promise is that God Himself will enable you not only to escape the devil’s wickedly disguised schemes, but to stand firm and unmovable in your dedication to Him and His cause.

Many a well-armored official has been overcome by an apparently weakened and conquered opponent. Some, Christians, too, have been overcome by nice and friendly people who pretend to be “Christians.” They possess what at first-glance appears to be the Truth, but hidden within their beliefs are the twisted lies of Satan and his minions. Nothing we possess of ourselves is sufficient armor. It is His Armor (His Word) alone that protects us.

We continue to remember you daily 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,

Ephesians 5:15-17, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,

16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Of all the things that we own, there is nothing more precious than time. In these three, short verses, the Apostle instructs us by warning against wasting time. The older we get, the “faster” time flies. We are

encouraged to rescue the time we have from waste. As I look retrospectly over my own life, I see numerous things I wish I had done. But, it’s too late now. It’s helpful to take inventory of our time every so often, so that we might use it wisely.

To be sure, there are allurements in the world that seem profitable; yet, when we indulge in them, and then look back and evaluate them, we see them as useless toward anything good or helpful, either to ourselves or to others. “Time,” one has said, “is given us for most valuable purposes…Man has just enough (time) given him to accomplish all the purposes which God designs, and God has not given him more than enough.”

In today’s inbox, I received two emails from an old high-school friend. They were sent others, as well. His father was a Harvard professor, and he is a retired professor of mathematics from the University of Oregon. He sent pictures of a house, of its gardens, and of his library; but he said nothing of substance. One email subject line said, “Help if you can.” His opening statement said, “We are all at an age when we expect some of our friends to disappear from the email world.” Was his concern for “disappearance” more than “from the email world”? Was that subject-line call for “help” more than it appeared? Is the LORD directing me to witness to an old friend? How will I spend my time today? There are important things already on my agenda. Now, I must prioritize my time, but not just for today –for the rest of my life. How about you?

We love 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,

Ephesians 4:25-30, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has need.

29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

When you first told the LORD Jesus Christ that you were sorry for you sins against Him and asked Him to forgive you and take charge of your life, He forgave you and guaranteed you eternal life from that very moment. That was His promise, and the Bible says it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18). At that very moment, the Holy Spirit entered your life, and became the Spiritual Guide for your life. He leads, but does not force you to do what the LORD desires. That’s why the Bible shows us what God wants us to be and do.

The LORD wants us to stop deceiving others with lies and always tell the truth. We will sometimes get angry, but we’re not to hold grudges against others. Forgive quickly those who anger us. If we don’t, Satan will take the opportunity to lead us off God’s intended pathway for our lives. Hands that steal are to be replaced with hands do good work –work that benefits others, even those who made us angry. Don’t use profanity! Use words that are good and appropriate, words that benefit people. This will cause them to see the difference between a true Christian and one who is not.

Moreover, employing anything that is worldly, fleshly, and evil will hurt and distress the Holy Spirit, who is the “Seal” or “God’s Mark” of your salvation. Once we have trusted Christ Jesus as our LORD and Savior, we can NEVER again be lost. The Holy Spirit is that guarantee. And when we allow the Spirit to guide us, we take on the likeness of a true believer. That likeness speaks to unbelievers. It tells them that we are different; and it causes them to want to know why. That’s when we can share Jesus with them, and they can find a hope and deliverence from their sin, just as we have. That’s how it works! The LORD does the saving, but He is gracious in that He allows us to have a part in leading others to Him.

We love you and pray for you always,

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,

James 1:19-20, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

You know this, but I’m going to say it again anyway because it’s important and because I want you to do well. Listen carefully to everything; be sure you understand what you’re supposed to. Think things through and don’t get mad and say things you’ll later regret. Besides, anger isn’t how you get this job done.

That is a modern paraphrase of what James said back in A.D. 45. It was true then and it’s been good advice for nearly 2,000 years! Wow! I hate to think of what might have happened if I’d listened to that advice many years ago. I didn’t always take the good advice I was given. Still, as the years rolled by, I saw the wisdom in those words.

When I first joined Liberty University as an online professor, the man who hired me gave me some good advice. We were encouraged to personally contact our students, but I was told, “Don’t give them your phone number or you’ll be inundated with calls.” I gave my email at the school, so as to have personal contact, but not my phone number. That gave me opportunity to think through the sometimes complicated questions students would ask before replying “off the cuff.”

There were a few –thankfully, very few—who antagonized me with their unwillingness to take “No!” for an answer. They wanted to “game the system” instead of following the clear and well-written rules. One fellow was consistently late in submitting his work and argued with my grading. His work was late because, he said, he had “so many things to do.” Then he listed them. After two or three of his emails of complaint, I was moving toward anger. However, James’ words in our verses above reminded me that anger doesn’t accomplish anything. My “no” simply meant “no,” and that was that.

We’ve all been guilty of misunderstanding things because we didn’t listen carefully. And we’ve all been guilty of speaking too quickly and too often having a “short fuse.” We just need to slow down and remember that what we’re doing is God’s work and it has to be done with love and righteousness. For those who love being angry, our being loving throws them off their game. It is then that the righteousness of God can be achieved.

May the LORD bless and use 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.”

Dear Grands,

Galatians 6:7-10, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”

Have you ever been deceived? been intentionally misguided? An advertisement promises in HUGE letters, but in small, indistinguishable type discounts everything It promised? Well, such things occur in religion, too. Anyone who lives like the world and thinks he can reap heavenly rewards is deceiving himself. Simply put, we reap what we sow. There are consequences to everything we do. You cannot outwit God.

“Sowing with a view to the evil nature refers to the act of a person choosing those courses of conduct that will gratify the cravings of the totally depraved nature. All false systems of religion are so adjusted that they appeal to the fallen nature of man, satisfying his religious instinct for worship, while at the same time allowing him to go on in his sin.”

But it’s hard, you say. Everyone seems to be going in the worldly direction; nothing I say to them seems to be effective. They’re my friends. I don’t want them to go the way they’re going, but nothing I say or do has any effect on their behavior. To all of that Paul says, Don’t give up. Just keep on saying what they need to hear. Eventually, in God’s timing, the truth will have an effect on them. Moreover, time is running out. The opportunity you have today will not be there forever. Keep on doing good. The LORD is keenly aware of what you are doing and of your intention. Just keep on keeping on. The end will be better than the beginning.

We love you 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.”