November 25,1996
Dear Br. Roman:
I trust that the Lord is blessing you and your wife and that this Sabbath finds you in good health and prosperity, as the Lord promised to His faithful children.
What a wonderful privilege it is to be a man. How wise the Creator
was to make broth men and women as expressions of Himself. When
joined together, in holy wedlock and life long commitment, marriage
is a fit representation of the Creator.
It is a tragedy when men loose sight of the union that should
exist between husband and wife for it is an illustration of the
unity that should exist between the bride, the church, and Her
bridegroom, Christ.
It is a wonderful privilege for Christian men, especially older
married Christian men, to so live before the world and the church
and their brethren as to give a living example of this sacred
union. We can model Christ’s unity, as symbolized in marriage,
to our younger brothers, thus helping them in their Christ walk.
As we live the relationship between Christ and his church, others
see the joy and happiness that attends our wedding and will emulate
our example.
Men need to see other men living for and loving their wives and
children as Christ loves us. Only in this fashion can men be encouraged
to sacrifice their interests for their families.
Women may model fancy clothes and lingerie but men have the privilege
of modeling Christ. What an infinite opportunity He has given
us.
It must be a joy to Jesus, the Father, and the angels to watch
human beings, created in the image of God, disfigured into the
image of Satan, then restored to the likeness of God, representing
Him, through the sacred bonds of marriage. A successful marriage
is as much a witness for the Lord as giving Bible studies or preaching,
for it is an unconscious, acted out parable over a long period
of time. No one can be fooled by pretense or hypocrisy into believing
a marriage is happy or successful when it is not. We cannot hide
our unhappiness and misery for long.
As men, we should resolve now, for it is our responsibility and
not that of our wives, to repair our marriages, if they are broken,
that others may have the witness of the effectiveness of Christ’s
healing agencies in our lives. As Christ has invested the religious
leadership, of the home and church, in the hands of men, and as
broken marriages are primarily a result of the neglect of this
leadership principle, so it is our responsibility to repent of
our failure and return to the Lord by restoring love in our homes.
Just as others take note of our unhappy marriage so they take
note of our happiness, and blessings will flow from our homes
like sunshine from the heavens.
Just as a wife is blessed and feels secure when she knows her
husband loves only her and prefers her society for that of another,
so the church is content when she realizes that her bridegroom
desires her and not another. The church is the one object upon
earth upon which Christ bestows His highest regard or affection,
so our wives should be the one object on earth upon which we bestow
our greatest adoration.
Just as idolatry is loving someone or something more then we love
God so adultery is loving another more then we love our wives.
I am not suggesting that you have cheated on your wife or that
you don’t love her with all your affection, next to Christ,
that is, of course, but, rather, I am suggesting that we must
take care that our witness is not marred by a troubled and imperfect
marriage.
Give her a big kiss and hug tonight and tell her of your affection
for only her. She will repay this love in a hundred small ways
that will bring happiness into your life. We can never cherish
our wives enough. Notice what the Bible admonishes men to do when
it says that we are to love our wives. God understands male human
nature and has given this caution least we fail of reflecting
His character.
May the Lord bless you with a happy marriage and a respectful
wife. With brotherly love. Your brother in Christ.
Allen A. Benson