The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Judges 18:1-6, “In those days there was no king of Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel.

2 So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, ‘Go, search the land.’ And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.

3 When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there and said to him, ‘Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?’

4 He said to them, ‘Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me, and I have become his priest.’

5 They said to him, ‘Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous.’

6 The priest said to them, ‘Go in peace; your way in which you are going has the LORD’S approval.’”

Things were quite different in those days. Yet, some things never change. It was not wrong for the Danites to seek a place to live as an inheritance. It also seems quite normal that they should ask someone to make an inquiry of the LORD as to whether they were going in the right direction and whether they would enjoy the approval of the LORD.

It’s always a point of wisdom to make inquiries in areas that are unknown to us. Quite often, I have wasted time and energy hunting for a place without seeking directions from someone living in the area. Doubtlessly, these men were weary from long travel.

Moreover, they were seeking “the approval of the LORD.” Proper motivation is an absolute necessity when we pursue anything, especially when it concerns something of spiritual value.

Often, our quests are more in the interest of personal rather than spiritual value. Always be certain that your pursuits are ordered by and intended for the honor and glory of the LORD!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.”

— Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Jeremiah 30:1-5, “The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,

2 “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book.

3 ‘For behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel and Judah.’ The LORD says, ‘I will also bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers, and they shall possess it.'”

4 Now these are the words which the LORD spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah:

5 “For thus says the LORD, ‘I have heard a sound of terror, of dread, and there is no peace.”

Again and again, the Bible predicts that the Jews must be back in their homeland for the events of the end times to unfold. It is the most prophesied event in all of the end times passages of the Bible. This modern return of the Jewish people to their Promised Land of Israel is one of the most unprecedented events in all of history. Thus far, the Jews have returned from more than 70 different countries in more than 20 centuries.

The first Zionist Congress was held in 1897. The leader was Theodor Herzl. During World War I, the British sought support from the Jews for the war effort. In response, the British Foreign Secretary, Arthur Balfour, issued what has become known as the Balfour Declaration. It read: “His Majesty’s Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” By 1939, when World War II broke out, there were around 450,000 Jews that had returned to Israel.

Ultimately, the United Nations approved the land as a national homeland for the Jews. British control of the land ended on 14 May 1948. The new nation was given 5,000 square miles for their then population of 650,000 Jews, plus several hundred thousand Arabs. Today, for the first time since AD 135, there are more Jews in Israel than in any other place on Earth! How mighty is the LORD’s Hand!

The inevitable responsibility for the Church-at-Large is now to pray for the spiritual conversion of the Jewish people. It is not by accident that the current American Ambassador to Israel is the Reverend Mike Huckabee, a truly born-again minister of Jesus Christ and Biblical Truth!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.” — Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 Corinthians 9:24-27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;

27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

When was the last time you watched a sporting event? Whenever it was, you witnessed athletes who had prepared themselves for the event. I could never have been considered an “athlete” by the standards of athletes today. Still, as a youngster, I trained and prepared myself as best as I could because winning was always more enjoyable than losing.

Athletics has existed for many years. The ancient Greeks were known to have trained in the gymnasium as early as the 1500s. Earlier still, Elijah is recorded in 1 Kings 18 as having urged Ahab to harness his chariot horses and hurry so that he might escape the heavy shower that was coming. Yet, Elijah fastened his cloak around his waist and outran Ahab to Jezreel on foot! Just imagine!

I have every confidence that the Apostle Paul was physically disciplined. He allowed that he was in the verses quoted above. Still, there is a spiritual discipline of which he spoke; and it is that discipline that is far superior to being able to outrun Ahab’s horses!

How disciplined are you? Are you disciplined in reading and studying the Scriptures? Are you regularly disciplined in prayer? How about your witness? Is your life so immersed in discipline that Christ is easily seen in your life and its activities?

No one so excels in spiritual discipline that he or she can afford to take time off. It was the famous pianist and composer, Ignacy Paderewski, who said, “If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it.”

May we so discipline ourselves spiritually that everyone will notice that we live with and for Jesus!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.” — Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

2 Samuel 12:1-10, “Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, “There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor.

2 “The rich man had a great many flocks and herds.

3 “But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom and was like a daughter to him.

4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

5 Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die.

6 “He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.”

7 Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel, and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.

8 ‘I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these!

9 ‘Why have you despised the Word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.

10 ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’”

All sin is serious and should be viewed as such. Some would distinguish between excessive speeding in a car and parking a car in a “No Parking” zone. Yet, each is an infringement of the law. What David did in the passage above was wrong. It is doubtful that he overlooked the wrong when the instance of the poor man’s lamb was used as an illustration of his greater sin. We are always and ever in the sight of the LORD!

What we should not miss is that all wrong is sin in God’s eyes, and that He will require payment for everything that we intentionally or unintentionally overlook. Way back in the book of Numbers (32:23), the LORD said, “…be sure your sin will find you out.” It was true then, and it is true today. Yet, He will forgive our sin if we turn from it and humbly ask for His forgiveness.

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.” — Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Daniel 9:2-10, “…I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the Word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly, and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.

6 “Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.

7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day– to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You.

8 “Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.

9 “To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;

10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets.”

How often we come to the LORD in prayer, asking forgiveness for our sins; yet, we fail to acknowledge His spiritual means that exist to prevail against our transgressions. The LORD forgives sin, which is made known through the teaching of His ministers (vss. 6 & 9). Any man who steps into the pulpit to share the teachings of Holy Scripture does so in fear and trembling. For he is responsible to have thoroughly lived and studied the Word from which he draws His LORD’s teaching. Only then is he responsible to share it clearly and sincerely with his people.

Such is not as easily shared as one might think. Every minister is first required to have lived the Truth that he shares. Paul says this in Romans: “…you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You, who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” Pray earnestly for those who minister God’s Word!

Heartily in Christ,

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need

Until He becomes all that we have.” — Corrie ten Boom