The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Matthew 6:24-30, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!”

I just don’t know what I’m going to do! Everything looked so right – until
the situation changed! Now, I’m locked into that situation I so dreaded!
What am I going to do?

Did you ever find yourself in a situation like that? Maybe it seemed so serious that you couldn’t even sleep. You tossed and turned all night, and could hardly wait until daybreak. Then the day broke and things were just as bad as you thought they would be –but they were no worse.

Jesus’ words in the verses above dispells concern that could not be helped by worry. Yet, where is the answer? It lies in our trust in the LORD. When we were children, we learned to trust in our parents. They were with us, consoling us with their words, promising to be with us every step of the way.

What we cannot foresee is decidedly to our advantage. We are then forced to trust in others, who have previously walked in that pathway. Even more so are we forced to trust in the LORD.

Solomon said, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones” (Prov. 3:5-8).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 2:13, “…‘I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.’ And again, ‘BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.’”

The dictionary describes the word “trust” as the “reliance on and confidence in the truth, worth, and reliability of a person or thing…” In other words, it is one’s faithful trust in the ability and/or reliability of another person, place or thing, to accomplish a given task.

Although the word “trust” is mentioned but once in the Epistle to the Hebrews, it is quite evident that the author (whom I believe to be the Apostle Paul) expressly and carefully places the care and trust of himself into the Hands the LORD. Surely, if he can commit himself securely to the LORD, so can we.

By contrast, the word “worry” (?????? daag in Hebrew) is mentioned only once (Isaiah 57:11), while ???????? (merimnao), a Greek word), is mentioned some 19 times, perhaps suggesting that the unsaved Greeks might have had greater hesitancy than the Greek and Roman Christians.

Although to my knowledge, neither of my parents had any familiarity with foreign languages, I can and do recall a neighbor saying with regard to “worry”: “Don’t tell me it doesn’t pay to worry! Nothing I ever worried about ever happened!”

With all due respect to those who read the Scriptures only in English, I do suggest that worry is a negative word that translates as: “not trusting God.” Thus, I most heartily urge that you trust Him implicitly!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 5:14-24, “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

Were you ever in such a hurry that you didn’t have time to fully explain those elements of last minute advice? You just quickly said what needed to be said and hoped the one to whom you were speaking would understand. Well, these last verses in 1st Thessalonians meets that criterion.

It will do us well to savor each and every element of Paul’s last words. He urges us to give instructions to those who are weak much like a mother instructing her young children as she hurries off to work. Let them see your best expression as you leave them for a time. Be joyful!

At the same time, be prayerful as the Holy Spirit leads you. Don’t be angry, as that depresses the Holy Spirit in you life. Just be faithful and look for the coming of the LORD Jesus Christ. Remember how faithful He has always been in leading you. He will always be faithful and lead you in the right way.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

We are now living in the Church Age, and the next event to unfold is the Rapture (or catching away) of the Church (i.e., all truly born-again believers irrespective of all denominational names).

Paul explains in Romans 8:1 that there will be no “judgment” (condemnation) upon believers. In First Thessalonians 4:13-18 that the LORD Jesus Christ will return and believers will be “caught up to meet Him in the air.” Christ will not come entirely down to the Earth, but believers will rise to meet Him in the air. We will then go immediately to the Judgment Seat, where we will give an account for all unconfessed sins, and will then be united with other believers. We will also be given “rewards” for work we have done for Him while we were on the Earth. Only truly born-again believers will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Meanwhile, on Earth, there will be seven years of Tribulation. The Antichrist will NOT BE KNOWN until the Church is gone. The seven years of Tribulation will be divided into two parts of 3.5 years each. In the first part, the Antichrist arises in pretense of friendship with Israel. Israel will believe he is the Messiah! In the second 3.5 years, the Antichrist will lash out against Israel with such fury that the most far-left liberal will look like a “conservative Sunday School teacher.” The Tribulation will then end in the Battle of Armageddon!

Following the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Christ will return to the Earth. This is the Second Coming (as differentiated from the Rapture of the Church). After Armageddon, the Nations will be judged according to how they treated the Jews during the Tribulation era.

Parenthetically, I need only to mention that Satan’s Group comprises Satan, the opposite of God the Father; Antichrist, opposite of God the Son; and the False Prophet opposite of the Holy Spirit. They are currently alive and quite active in their nefarious opposition to our LORD Jesus Christ. That is why you and I need to be “about our Father’s business.” The time is shorter than we think!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom

Dear Grands,

Psalm 37:3-9, “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret, as it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.”

Life presents multiple problems! There is no denial, and often, no escape. But, how do we help those whose lives are simply flooded with serious difficulties? “What do I do now?” is their major question. It’s often our major question, too.

If we are to follow the order of the verses quoted above, trust comes first. I’ve often encountered questions regarding “Christian deportment” –questions regarding some things I had never previously tackled. That’s when we “breathe” a silent prayer, asking the LORD what we are to do. “How do I handle this, LORD?”

The psalmist says we are first to “delight” ourselves “in the LORD,” trusting Him to provide what is necessary. In other words, we’re not to panic! We are to trust Him to provide not only our verbal response, but to enable us to respond in a warm demeanor, as well.

If and when we Trust, Cultivate, Delight, Commit, Rest, Cease, and Forsake (as noted above in the text), we will have fulfilled the LORD’s requirement of faithfulness. Answers for friends who are asking will then come more easily. It’s not as hard as it looks; it’s just vitally necessary.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We will never know that Christ is all we need
until He becomes all that we have.”
– Corrie ten Boom