The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 4:1-4, Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”

Baptism had been a highlight in Jesus’ life. Through His baptism, He was

Introduced to all mankind as the Messiah. The entire Trinity (also known as

the Godhead) had been present for the occasion. But now, He must be

proved as able to withstand Satan and his clever and slanderous assaults.

That Jesus was willing to undergo the tests is proved by the Holy Spirit’s

leadership. After 40 days and nights of prayer and going without food, the

human aspect of Jesus’ being was exceedingly hungry. Satan then tempted

Him. “If You are the Son of God, (and You are)” he said, “command that these stones become bread.” Jesus saw the subtlety in Satan’s words, and said,

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of

the mouth of God.”

When I was in high school, I was often invited to lunch by some businessmen

in town. One day a veteran of the Korean War was the speaker. I remember

him saying that they were so hungry for American food that he bought a can

of chili-con-carne from a fellow-soldier for $20! Hunger is a huge factor in

temptation. And Satan knows more about how to “buffalo” us than we know

about resisting. Oh, you think I can’t turn stones to bread, huh? No, it was a

solicitation to engage in evil. Jesus knew that sin is evil –every time! And he

immediately resorted to the Word of God as His defense. Notice, too, that

He said, “…every word…” Don’t be guilty of racing through your reading of

Scripture. Savor every word like you would a soft and luscious piece of meat.

The Word of God is always our best defense against evil and temptation. Use

it as the LORD intended. It will never fail you.

You are daily in our prayers, always in our love,

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,

Matthew 3:13-17, “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan

coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent

Him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come

to me?’ 15 But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time;

for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he

permitted Him. 16 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately

from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the

Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, 17 and

behold, a Voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son,

in whom I am well-pleased.’”

Baptism is a momentous event! John the Baptist, the six-months

older cousin of Jesus, had come out of the wilderness and was

baptizing people “as they confessed their sins” (v. 6). During one

of these events, Jesus came on the scene and persuaded John to

baptize (immerse) Him. It is noteworthy that Jesus confessed NO

SIN, inasmuch as He had committed no sin. And as He arose from

the water He saw the Holy Spirit descending upon Him and heard

the Voice of the Father introducing Him: “This is My beloved Son,

in whom I am well-pleased.”

Here we have a picture of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And the crowning aspect is the Voice of the Father as He introduced

His Son, Jesus, to the world-at-large. It is always a joy to introduce

someone in whom we have confidence. This is my wife; these are

my children; these are my grandchildren. I always rejoice in sharing

their abilities and achievements. Yes, it is pride; but it is the right

kind of pride. When the Father spoke of being “well-pleased” with

His Son, He was emphasizing Jesus’ absence of any confession of sin.

It was indeed a unique emphasis. I cannot say of my relatives, past

or present, that they have never sinned. Nor can they say that of me.

Pride in introductions always emphasizes the best in another. And

what really matters to all of us is whether the Father is well-pleased

with our lives. He can be if we confess our sins every day and live

in accordance with His Word. May the LORD so enable us to live for

Him that He can introduce us to others as His own.

May the LORD hear and answer our prayers for each other,

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,

Psalm 108:1-6, “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises,

even with my soul. 2 Awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn! 3 I will give thanks to Thee, O LORD, among the peoples; And I will sing praises to Thee

among the nations. 4 For Thy lovingkindness is great above the heavens; And

Thy truth reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And

Thy glory above all the Earth. 6 That Thy beloved may be delivered, Save with

Thy right hand, and answer me!”

Where does one go to perfect the skills they possess, but to one who has

achieved what they themselves desire? David was the master of praise!

Thus, we learn how to praise the LORD by reading and studying the prayers

of David. He is steadfast, fixed, firm, determined in his praise of the LORD.

Circumstances are brushed aside; nothing is allowed to suppress his praise.

As music was his special gift, he turns to those instruments to accompany

his praise. As the tongue is one of the LORD’s foremost gifts to man, David

determines to glorify the LORD in songs of praise and worship. He is not at

all shy about who hears his praise; in fact, that is his desire.

David notes that the lovingkindness of the LORD is “great above the heavens,”

and His “truth reaches to the skies.” While the Word of the LORD regarding

the outreach of David’s rule has yet to be realized, he continues to praise

Him in anticipation “That Thy beloved may be delivered. Save with Thy right

Hand and answer me.”

How often we find ourselves “lost at sea,” as it were. What do we do? Where

do we go? How are we to respond? We are to believe that the LORD is

aware of our needs and that His Word contains the answer to our every dilemma.

Faith, trust, and belief are English derivatives of the Greek word pistis. To have

faith is to trust, and to trust is to believe. How does that help us? Just throw

yourself upon the LORD in faith. Read and believe His Word! Whatever troubles

lie in your pathway, you can dispel and erase them through faith in Christ Jesus.

We love you and believe in the LORD for His blessings,

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,

Proverbs 3:5-8, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make

your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

8 It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to

your bones.”

I awoke this morning with these verses on my mind.

They are a sound and solid reminder that the LORD

is the One who controls all factors of life. With all that

He had enabled us to know, we must admit that it

pales in the light of what He knows. We come to the

crossroads of life situations, not knowing whether to

turn right or left. We evaluate every factor, yet still

have doubts as to what to do. The psalmist shouts,

“TRUST in the LORD!” Have complete confidence in Him.

Don’t just trust your instincts! Acknowledge Him as

supreme, and He will show you what to do.

Rose Marie has always been my wise counsel. The

depths of her spiritual understanding has always amazed

me. Her trust has always been in the LORD; and I have

learned to rely upon His counsel as well. Yet, many aspects

work to confuse His counsel. Evil rears its nasty head

in the effort to scramble clear thinking. Reverencing

Him and resisting evil clears the pathway. And the anxiety

that has built up within us rapidly disappears.

It is not easy to trust –even to trust in the LORD. So, when

we encounter trouble, He allows us no way out except to

trust Him. How precious and tenderly He leads us.

We prayerfully walk by faith, loving each of you all the while,

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,

Psalm 104:31-34, “Let the glory of the LORD endure forever;

Let the LORD be glad in His works;

32 He looks at the Earth, and it trembles;

He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;

As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.”

Today we have the announcement of an 8.2 earthquake

in Alaska! Once again, we have an event occurring that man

cannot control. Earthquakes mentioned in Scripture are often

announcements of the LORD’s displeasure with man. It’s as if

the LORD were calling man’s attention to his frailty and the

brevity of his life.

The world in which we live is filled with beauty that

bespeaks the glory of the LORD our God. From the vast

recesses of space to the minutia of man’s DNA, the LORD

reveals Himself and calls for praise! He alone is Eternal.

The psalmist’s phrases, “as long as I live” and “while I

have my being” speak of man’s limited life on Earth.

What a challenge it is that both externally (singing) and

internally (meditation) we have in this life the opportunity

to praise the LORD! Nothing of man’s own creation is as

marvelous as that which our LORD has created. Nothing

from the hand of man is so deserving of praise. Even the

ability to see and understand is God’s gift to us. Let’s

turn our thinking today toward Him and praise Him for

all He has done –while we still have time to do so.

We love and pray for you all,

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.”