December 16,1996
Dear Br. Dan:
The Lord is so good to us that I just had to write and share with you and your wife some of the blessings that He showers upon us each day.
As we near the end of time, I am increasingly aware of just how
sinful we are and how much we fail to represent our Savior’s
character. As the world grows darker and darker in sin and a misapprehension
of Christ’s nature, I wonder how He will cleanse it or, rather,
cleanse me, as I am one of the greatest of sinners. I don’t
think I have the level of humility of Paul when he said that he
was the greatest of sinners, but I certainly am one of his lieutenants.
But one of the paradoxes of Christianity is to realize that the
more we sense our sins, the closer we are to the Lord, for it
is the purpose of the Holy Spirit to convict us of sin; if we
feel we all right and have need of nothing, then we are truly
destitute of the Holy Spirit and most miserable indeed.
Br. Dan, we have much to rejoice the heart. Christ is our Savior,
God is our Father, the Holy Spirit and angels are our constant
companions and we have good Christian brothers and sisters who
comfort and sustain us.
Let us fill every moment of the day with joy and happiness for
we have a heaven to win and a hell to shun. As God’s men,
let us shower our families with the sunshine of hope and courage
for there is much to rejoice the heart in this dark and desperate
world.
Christ is on the verge of accomplishing one of the greatest victories
in the long controversy between good and evil, purifying our heats
of all known and unknown sins. How He will accomplish this miracle,
I know not, but He will, most assuredly, accomplish it. The only
thing standing in His way, is our refusal to part with our precious
sins. The struggle is intense and may even seem to be lost, but
let us never give up hope, never grow discouraged, as we see ourselves
all polluted, all full of sin and rebellion, let us, instead,
look to Christ and praise Him for accomplishing, in us, this transformation
of heart and character, and act as if we are all ready cleansed
of all sins. Let us rejoice in Christ’s miracle on our behalf
and let us praise Him for restoring us to His family above.
If we think of ourselves as humble, self-sacrificing, generous,
merciful, unworthy of God’s blessings, meek and self-effacing,
then we shall truly become Christian men, in whom Christ is not
ashamed to call us brothers.
We should endeavor to spread as much encouragement around us as
possible. It is too easy to be negative, discouraging, critical,
bitter, resentful, envious, and unhappy. We must strive to be
uplifting, happy, sunny Christians, especially when every evidence
points in the opposite direction. Our Lord loves us and we should
never forget it. If we act as if He adores us then we shall become
aware His compassion and, sensing it, we have the privilege of
loving others as He loves us.
Courage, my brother, courage in the Lord, all is not lost. We
should strive to be all the man God intended us to be. Higher
then the highest human thought is God’s ideal for us, Godliness,
Godlikeness. We have the privilege of being like God in character,
if not in works. We may resemble God in nature so when others
see us, they see God. The greatest witness we can give for Christ
is to be like Him, is to live our lives as He would live them
if he were living within us, which, indeed, He is, if we allow
Him.
I say again, all is not lost. Christ is about to accomplish the
greatest miracle imaginable, to change you and me into saints,
fit to live with Him in paradise for an eternity. Let us praise
Him.
May the Lord richly bless you. Your brother in Christ.
Allen A. Benson