The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Nehemiah 8:5, 8, 10, “And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people

for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people

stood up…. “And they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to

give the sense so that they understood the reading…. “’…Do not be grieved,

for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’”

As Nehemiah and the people were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, they

discovered the Book of the Law. The reverence they had for the LORD’s

Word is evidenced by their spontaneous standing when the Book was

Opened. Nehemiah then read from the Book and the people understood

the meaning and began repenting of their sin, their failure to have lived

according to the LORD’s direction. They wept openly and profusely!

Then Nehemiah said, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your

strength.

Sin crushes joy. People often laugh while they are sinning, but it is a

hollow, empty laughter. It is the attempt to make themselves feel

good when they really feel empty and ashamed. A cadet asked me

only last night, “How do we know the difference between right and

wrong?” It was a honest question. My answer was that there is an

unique thing called conscience, which we all have that directs us.

But there is more to be said. The Bible is God’s directive to us just

as it was to the people in Nehemiah’s day. Further, when we come

to know Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit enters our lives; and it

is He who strengthens our conscience and reveals what is right and

what is wrong in every situation.

To be joyful, we must read God’s instructions, and repent before Him

for the sin in our lives. Then the “joy of the LORD (becomes) our

strength.” The secret of joy is the secret of success.

We love 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,

Nehemiah 2:1-5, “And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth

year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine

and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.

2 So the king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad though you are not sick?

This is nothing but sadness of heart.’ Then I was very much afraid.

3 And I said to the king, ‘Let the king live forever. Why should my face not

be sad when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies desolate and its

gates have been consumed by fire?’”

We tend to overlook the native abilities of Old Testament people. Nehemiah

had long served the king. He conducted his duties properly; only his face

appeared sad to the king. The king’s analysis of the situation was “on target.”

Nehemiah had something on his mind –something he could not conceal from

the notice of the king.

Sometimes today, we cannot discern what is bothering someone, but we

can see from their facial expressions that something is. Still, even when

the king ultimate permitted Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and re-build

the wall of the city, problems plagued him. He had opposition from local

people; he had opposition from his own people. He was unsuccessfully

seduced by the local, who played the “good cop, bad cop” game. They

threatened his life, and when that didn’t work, they bribed an infirmed

old man to lure him into the Temple, which would have given the

impression that he was afraid. Oh, Nehemiah had problems all right!

But he never allowed them to hinder him from his main purpose.

Let me challenge you to read the Book of Nehemiah. It has only 13 chapters,

and they are filled with intrigue, wisdom, determination, and prayerfulness.

Winston Churchill most famous speech may have been his shortest. He

arose from his seat and said, “Never give up! Never! Never! Never!” And

he sat down. Churchill did an immense amount of reading. Who knows

but that he might have read Nehemiah and become inspired to forge on?

Love and prayers, always,

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 31:23-24, “O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!

The LORD preserves the faithful, And fully recompenses the

proud doer. 24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in the LORD.”

The world around us abounds with discouragements!

Circumstances work against us! People seek to hinder

us! Some days just pressure us in the wrong direction.

None of this is new! There will always be discouragements.

What are we to do?

Just keep loving the LORD. He is always with us! He

guards and preserves those who are faithful to Him! He

deals with the proud in His own way. Just be certain

you’re not one of them!! Let your mind and your will be

strong in the LORD. That’s what courage is! Hope is

future certainty! No question about it: the LORD never

forgets or abandons His people. And because of Him,

we are His people! Praise the LORD!

We just keep loving you and praying 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.”

2 Chronicles 32:7, 20, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed

because of the king of Assyria, nor because of all the multitude which is with him;

for the One with us is greater than the one with him….But King Hezekiah and

Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed about this and cried out to heaven.”

Why do those who have sufficient always want more? Pride and

arrogance seem to grip the hearts of leaders. It was so with Sennacherib

king of Assyria. When he saw what Hezekiah, king of Judah, possessed,

he wanted it all for himself. Even in Old Testament times, men knew that

a key to victory was psychological warfare. Sennacherib’s generals taunted

Judah with threats, intending to demoralize them. They sent letters that

dishonored the LORD God, and they spoke in the Judean language so that

all the people of Judea could hear and fear.

But, Hezekiah was wise. He had prepared for Assyria’s assault by stopping

up the water sources and depriving them of drinking water. Then he spoke

to the people and to the LORD. He reminded the people that the LORD was

greater than Sennacherib and his armies. Then, he and his leaders prayed to

the LORD about the entire situation. “And the LORD sent an angel who

destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the

king of Assyria. So, he returned in shame to his own land.”

Should we, then, worry about the power of North Korea? Should their threats

be discouraging to us? Is not the LORD more powerful than Kim Jung Un?

Pray for our leaders that they might look to the LORD as did Hezekiah!

May the LORD bless you today! You are ever in our prayers.

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,

2 Chronicles 25:9, “And Amaziah said to the man of God,

‘But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have

given to the troops of Israel?’ And the man of God answered,

‘The LORD has much more to give you than this.’”

Times often change, but people don’t –even wealthy people,

such as kings. Amaziah became king of Judah when he was

25 years of age. He counted 300,000 men who could go to

war, and then he hired an additional 100,000 valiant warriors

from Israel itself. He was about to leave when a man of God

urged him not to go. The LORD is not with you and He will

bring you down. But, Amaziah was concerned for the money

he had already paid for those 100,000 men. Ah, youth! But

the man of God said, “The LORD has much more to give

you than this.” To Amaziah’s credit, he listened to the counsel

of the man of God.

None of you are planning to go to war against anyone –at

least, I hope not! But, we all often resemble Amaziah’s poor

judgment when it comes to money. I would hate to try to list

the things I’ve bought over the years –things that I thought

I could not get along without—but they proved to be things

that either did not work or things that I did not used as much

as I thought I would. The longer I live, the more valuable the

counsel of the LORD becomes. Indeed, He has much more

to give than I ever realized! What is more, He is ready and

willing to give it! Why are we not looking to Him for His riches?

You are in our thoughts and prayers 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.”