November 25,1996
Dear Br. Evens:
If my memory serves me right, when I was
a young boy in the early 1950s, my parents took my sister and
myself to see a large fountain with colored lights spotlighted
on it in the evenings. I believe this attraction was in Marshal.
Am I correct in this memory, or am I confusing this city with
another city in Michigan? Often, childhood memories are clouded
with time, and what seemed important, as a child was, in reality,
not all that important. However, I was impressed with this attraction,
something similar to the Niagara falls. It was always a thrill
to travel in those days, and quite an adventure for my parents
with two small, wrestles children, and a baby in arms.
If this was a beautiful attraction, at least
in my memory, I can hardly wait for the wonderful travel that
the Lord will provide for us on our way to heave. As we see space,
now, it is black and featureless, however, I believe such is not
reality, for we do not have spiritual eye sight. I believe the
Lord’s universe is gloriously filled with color and there
are wonderful things to see.
The Bible says that it will take seven days
to reach heaven, for the Lord wants to show off his trophies,
us, to the inhabitants of other worlds who watched the sufferings
of Christ and our struggles to remain faithful to Him, after He
departed for heaven.
Does this talk of other worlds seem strange.
It shouldn’t when we consider the nature of our God. Would
a God who could create an entire universe of stars and other celestial
wonders populate it with only one inhabited planet? I doubt it.
I think all of those suns, that we call stars and that fill the
night time sky with pin points of brilliance, are surrounded with
inhabited planets, similar to our own.
Our God is so large that He needs a entire
universe of loyal subjects whom he can love and cherish. His affection
is as large as the universe, therefore, He needs many planets
of, what shall I call them, “people,” to love and care
for. John says, “God is love.” He certainly showered
our little world with enough love to supply every man, woman,
and child with all they need and then some, but there is so much
love left over, that He must have other worlds to cherish.
That the “People” on these other
planets did not sin, is obvious, for Christ came to this little
planet and died here, implying that our world is the only one
that revolted from His kingdom of love. It seems strange that
everyone on earth, at some time in our lives, recognizes a desperate
longing for compassion, but when we have the opportunity to love
and be loved by God, we turn away and even seek to kill Him. This
is strange behavior indeed.
Yet Christ came here, to live and die among
His rebels, because He had such tender regard for His lost children
that heaven could not contain all of His affection. God’s
love is not selfish, for He seeks to give us happiness and joy,
if only we would believe it. But Satan, Christ’s enemy, has
so confused our understanding of God that we believe He hates
us or at the least is indifferent. Can you imagine how this must
hurt the heart of God. With so much love to spare, and yet His
most needy children spurn His love. What a pity we cannot truly
understand and believe that He means us nothing but kindness and
mercy.
But back to the question of space travel.
Many Christians and non-Christians believe we will go to heaven,
but few have given any thought to how we will get there. They
just assume that we will, somehow, go to heaven to be with the
Lord.
I am reminded of several small children
discussing their father’s jobs. How simple their understanding
of the adult world and how foolish, they seem to us, who inhabit
that world, as they talk with their childish pratter and simple
thinking.
It is because we do not know or understand
the power of God that many things, both in this world and in eternity,
seem strange and perplexing to our small childish minds. But,
like our earthy parents, who, when they overhear our childish
conversation, are amused, so God, our heavenly Father, is amused
by our simple thinking. But he understands our limitations, so
his amusement is not hurtful or unkind. As a loving father, He
delights to hear our simple prayers and conversation about Him
and His home.
There are men who do not know their heavenly
father because they never knew their earthly father. I am not
suggesting that he was dead or absent, but many sons never became
familiar with their fathers or their fathers never become conversant
with their sons. Fathers seldom have time for their sons, we are
so busy with our work or other activities, thus they are deprived
of our wisdom and understanding that, if we would become friends
with them, could spare them from experiencing many harmful lessons.
The same thing applies to God. Because we
fail to become friends with God, we stumble along, in this world,
making mistakes that our heavenly Father could prevent, if we
would just talk with Him and listen to His wisdom. It is the privilege
and responsibility of father parents to learn lessons, for themselves,
from God, then pass these lessons on to their sons. What a better
world this would be if fathers had time for God and for their
boys.
I try to encourage all men, through the
ministry of letters, to spend time with God and learn His lessons
of beneficence that they may help their younger brothers, both
in the church and out of it, to know God, by sharing His love
with them. All of us have the opportunity of being a father to
some one, and what better way then to father younger men whose
fathers have failed in their father role. I know very little about
you, except what Mike told me, but you and I have an excellent
opportunity to be loving, kind, merciful fathers to some boy or
younger man and love them as God loves us. Nothing compares to
the love of God and nothing compares to the love of an older man
for his brothers. Only those who love as Christ loves will board
the express train for heaven and see the wondrous sights and sounds
of the universe, not to mention the joy of meeting our Father
face to face.
With brotherly love, may the Lord bless you with peace and mercy.
Allen A. Benson
