The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Romans 12:16-21, “Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind,

but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

19 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.”

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I am both stubborn and outspoken.

When I have studied something and have assessed it to be right, I will stand

–alone, if necessary—vigorously in its defense. I have read and taught Romans

numerous times, but the meaning of these verses in chapter 12 hit me solidly,

as I face the many menaces of world.

I have often said that Ellicott is my first read after the Scriptures. Here is his

assessment of our verses for today, appendaged only for brevity —an assessment,

I must confess, that has enlightened me and turned my previous thoughts in

another direction.

Vs. 16, Be not wise in your own conceits. “Humility is necessary to the Christian not only in his dealings with others, but also to keep his mind open and teachable. He sees his errors, and learns from them.”

Vs. 17, Provide things honest . . . “Let your purposes be such that all men shall recognize their complete integrity. Do not engage in enterprises of a doubtful character, that might bring not only yourselves but the Christian body into ill repute.”

Vs. 18, …be at peace with all men. “The Christian can only be responsible for himself. So far as he is concerned, he is to do his best to maintain peace.”

Vs. 19, Give place unto wrath. “It seems best to understand this of ‘the wrath of God.’ Stand aside yourself as a mere spectator, and let the wrath of God have free course to accomplish itself as He shall think well.”

Vs. 20, …in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head. The phrase, ’coals of fire’ is used of the divine vengeance… it also may mean, “…awakening in the adversary the pangs of shame and remorse.”

Vs. 21, Be not overcome of evil… “The infliction of vengeance is not a sign of strength, but of weakness. To repress the desire for revenge is to gain a victory over self, which is not only nobler in itself, but will also be much more effectual. It will disarm the enemy, and turn him into a friend.”

How vital the Word is to our daily lives!

We love you immensely! We 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,

Romans 11:33 & 36, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.

Amen.”

The richness of this chapter deserves more comment than I’m giving it.

Paul notes that when Adam sinned, the LORD literally constructed the

nation of Israel out of Abram. As Israel sinned, God gave the Laws

(10 Commandments) like speed-limit signs, to indicate Israel’s sin. When

Israel ignored God’s commandments, He ignored them and shared His

love with the Gentiles. It was His intention to provoke a jealousy in Israel

that would cause them to return to Him. The LORD never ceased to love

Israel. He knew that in time, Israel would accept His love and return

to Him. They haven’t yet, but we’re nearing the time when they will.

This is what Paul had in mind when he said, “Oh, the depths of the riches

both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” And then he adds, “For from

Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever.

Amen.”

Despite the turmoil that exists in the world today, the LORD is working out

His will. He doesn’t give us all the details we’d like to have as to how this

all fits together. But, He has given us more than we’ve uncovered, because

our minds are centered on things other than His Word. We need to focus

on the LORD! Everything comes from Him and returns to Him and glorifies

Him. Life is not about us; it’s about Him! We need to get with the Program!

We love and pray for you daily! Whatever you do, don’t miss God’s plan

for your life!

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,

Romans 8:38-39. “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,

nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come,

nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ

Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8 is one of the supreme highlights of the entire book!

Having triumphed over the circumstances of chapter 7, Paul delights

in the invincible, inseparable, incomparable love of God in Christ Jesus.

Paul has lived through every conceivable trouble known to mankind;

and he credits his survival to the LORD who loves him. Yes, it’s true

that even after declaring our love for Him and acknowledging His

divine love for us, we’ve often fallen prey to the temptations of Satan.

Our love for Christ has often dimmed; but never has His love for us!

We did not redeem ourselves from sin; and His love that did redeem

us has never abandoned us no matter how grievously we have sinned.

We can only love Him because He continues to love us and hold us

securely in His unfathomable love. May we learn to love Him as He

loves us.

We love you and pray for 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.”

Dear Grands,

Romans 7:19-23, “For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice

the very evil that I do not wish. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do

not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes

to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,

23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war

against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin

which is in my members.”

After Israel was delivered from Egypt, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments,

as recorded in Exodus 20. These Commandments were never intended to

produce life in mankind; rather, they were given as warnings to enable mankind

to know when they were sinning against God. The first four of the Ten Commandments

have to do with mankind’s relationship with God; the second six have to do with

mankind’s relation to mankind.

Romans seven has always been a difficult chapter. Paul says he knows in his

mind what is right, but he seems always to be persuaded to do wrong. Haven’t

we all had that experience? Take pizza. We’ve eaten until we were filled. We know

we’ve had enough, but it tastes so good that our body just wants more. I found just

such a food in India. I ate so much that I got sick. But, it was SO GOOD that I ordered

it again the next day! How stupid! But I just couldn’t seem to resist it!

Paul had the same experience, but not with food. The Law said “DON’T!” But his

body, his emotions, cried “DO IT!” The conflict was there; and if he obeyed the

“DO IT,” he discovered he was a prisoner of sin. If he resisted the “DO IT,” he was

captive to the way of Christ. It works the same with us. We are captives, either

way. But one “prison” keeps us from Christ; the other keeps us from sin. Whose

captive do you want to be?

We pray you will always be a willing “captive” of Jesus Christ,

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,

Romans 6:12-14, “Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body

that you should obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the

members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but

present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your

members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not

be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”

Reign (be king); obey (listen to); lusts (desires, impulses); presenting (offer);

Unrighteousness (evil doing);

Whatever dominates our thinking or habits is king of our lives.

There are some impulses that we simply must not submit to. The

Greek language here is imperative –must not!—listen to or obey

the voice of sin. We have been made alive in Jesus Christ and must

always show forth “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12).

Keep good thoughts today! Let the Holy Spirit speak to you through

the pastor’s message. Let that message be applied to your heart.

We love you immensely and pray 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.”