The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Haggai 2:11-13, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Ask now the priests for a ruling:

12 ‘If a man carries holy meat in the fold of his garment, and touches bread with this fold,

or cooked food, wine, oil, or any other food, will it become holy?'”

And the priests answered and said, “No.”

13 Then Haggai said, “If one who is unclean from a corpse touches any of these, will the latter become unclean?” And the priests answered and said, “It will become unclean.”

Over the past few months, the western world has been plagued with influenza! It’s not

over yet, so we need be careful around those who cough or sneeze, lest the germs

fall on us and we become infected. The flu is nothing with which to trifle. It can be deathly!

This past week, an egg-producing company recalled some 200 million eggs for fear that

they might contain salmonella poisoning. Germs and diseases –some life-threatening—

are everywhere. We must always be on our guard.

These verses in Haggai have always been intriguing to me. The Jewish priests were an

authority on the Law, so the LORD said, “Ask (them) for a ruling.” If things that are holy

touch thing that are not holy, will the latter become holy? They’re answer was “No.”

Well, one is unclean by the standards of the Law comes into physical contact with

someone who clean, will the one he touched become unclean? The priests answered,

“Yes, he will become unclean.”

The principle is: Righteousness in not contagious; but unrighteousness is! People

you know and mingle with don’t become righteous just because you fellowship with them.

BUT, you can become unrighteous if you hang with those who are unrighteous. Unsaved

people don’t become saved by mingling with saved people; but saved people can be

dragged into unsavory activities by mingling too much with ungodly people. This is what

Jesus meant when He said, “I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep

them from the evil one” (Jn. 17:15 NAS). We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

We love you and pray for you daily,

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,

Habakkuk 2:18-20, “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it,

Or an image, a teacher of falsehood?

For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.

19 “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’ To a dumb stone, ‘Arise!’

And that is your teacher? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, And there is

no breath at all inside it.

20 “But the LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”

When I read these verses this morning, I was captivated by the thought

that I might –just might—have idols in my life. The prophet hit me hard!

No, to be sure, I don’t have any idols like he mentions, idols of wood or stone,

or gold or silver. But I do have possessions. I don’t have anything much that

I have created; but I do have things that I have acquired. Are they idols?

They can be.

A house, a car, jewelry, clothing, computers, cell-phones, books –books?—

Just about anything we’ve made or acquired –things that we possess– can be

classified as idols. It’s not the amount of possessions we have, but it’s how

treasured those possessions are to us. And it’s time. How do we spend it?

For example, what dominates my attention to the extent that I gravitate to

it more than anything else? (I dare not criticize you, because I have things

that dominate me, just like you do.) Thus, this warning is to both of us. We

simply cannot afford to be dominated by anything other than the LORD, His

Holy Word and prayer! When the “chips are down,” what profit is greater

than the things of the LORD? Just think about it….

We earnestly pray for ourselves, as we lovingly pray for you,

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,

Habakkuk 1:2-5, “How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And Thou wilt not hear?

I cry out to Thee, “Violence!” Yet Thou dost not save.

3 Why dost Thou make me see iniquity, And cause me to look on wickedness?

Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife exists and contention arises.

4 Therefore, the law is ignored And justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround

the righteous; Therefore, justice comes out perverted. “Look among the nations!

Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—

You would not believe if you were told.”

A woman and her husband were walking down the street. Inadvertently, the woman

stepped on a loose section of the sidewalk and fell 30 feet into an ancient well. The

water in the well arose above her waist. Needless to say, she cried for help; yet, it

took rescuers an hour to extract her from the well.

The prophet Habakkuk saw the violence of evil surrounding him, and he cried out

to the LORD. He thought he would never be saved. He could not understand why

the LORD made him see the affliction. Everywhere he looked, “destruction and

violence” surrounded him. Strife and contention were everywhere!

What the prophet saw led him to better understand the depths of evil. “The law

is ignored, and justice is never upheld.” This is what happens when the wicked

are in control. Moreover, “justice comes out perverted.” The Hebrew word

) ?????aqal( means “to bend or twist.” Evil men have no problem twisting the law

to benefit themselves. Boy! Do we ever see that in our day!

But the LORD is not asleep. He is not unaware of what is going on, however

personal or widespread it may seem. “I am doing something in your days,” the

LORD says. And He is at work doing something. Why do we not see it? Could

it be that we are too focused on the problem instead of the Problem Solver?

Set your eyes on the LORD! Live daily in His Word! Develop a sensitivity to

the Holy Spirit. The woman who fell in the well cried out for help. She was

rescued and the well was filled in for the sake of others who would walk that

way. The LORD will not do less for those who depend upon Him!

Our prayers of love are issued for you every day,

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,

Micah 4:5, “Though all the peoples walk

Each in the name of his god,

As for us, we will walk

In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

I learned long ago that not everyone believes what I believe.

Not everyone, even those who read the Bible, come to the same

conclusions as I. Of course, we are responsible to live for the

LORD regardless of what others do or say.

The prophet Micah lived in a tough and rigorous day. So do we!

We witness to others about the LORD Jesus. We encourage

others to read the Bible. We seek to live out our faith, so as to

be faithful and honorable to Him, while also seeking to be a

testimony to others. Yet, they continue to pursue other gods;

they twist the sayings and teachings of the True God, in order

to make His ways conform to theirs.

It is indeed joyous when we see the lost come to true faith in

our LORD Jesus Christ, It may be even more joyous when we

come to know that our lives have contributed to their faith in

Him. Whatever others ultimately do, however, must not affect

our walk with the LORD. If they come to trust Him, we must

remain humble. If they reject Him, we must not be discouraged.

Let Micah’s words resonate within us: “As for us, we will walk

In the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.”

May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide you in all

that you do for His glory.

Our daily prayers are for you, as yours are for us,

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,

Isaiah 60:1-2, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.

2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise

upon you, And His glory will appear upon you.”

Sleep means different things to different people. Hard work almost always calls for a sound sleep.

Sometimes, difficult and disturbing events – sheer mental exhaustion, things with which people

don’t want to deal—drives them to engage in sleep. For those surrounded by troubles for which

there is no foreseeable way out, they may go so far as to seek death, rather than to face them.

Isaiah foresees something better –much better! The entire passage is prophetic; still, it has a residual

meaning to each of us who knows the LORD. Don’t despair! Don’t get down in the dumps over

anything! Light –the LORD’s Light—is encompassing you! The LORD Himself is Light. And when

we recognize Him as our redeemer, there is not reason to wallow in despair, as in sleep.

To be sure, darkness falls upon us individually, just as it does upon the whole world. (Have you

read the News lately?) The darkness that pervades the Earth calls for sleep. Burying our heads

beneath our pillows, however, is no answer. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in

trouble’ (Ps. 46:1 NAS). So, don’t allow darkness of any sort to deepen and deposit its gloom on you!

The Glory of the LORD awaits you this very day!

We love and pray for each of you every, single day,

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.”