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PRIVILEGE OF BEING A HELPMEET

by Judith A. Brumbaugh
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Marriage is a picture of Christ and His Church.

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"Rachel, I love you.  You're so beautiful."

"Rachel, I love you. You're so beautiful." These were words regularly spoken by Brother Crawford to his one-flesh wife and were among some of the final words spoken by him to her shortly before going on to be with the LORD. After more than half a century of marriage, this team left, for those who knew them, a picture of Christ's relationship to the church, whether it was in their home filled with love and service to one another and those of us privileged to visit, from the pulpit as pastor and wife or with the many people to whom they ministered. When you were in the presence of this one-flesh team, there was never any question that the LORD was first in their lives followed by an uncompromising love which Robert and Rachel shared with one another. As Pastor Crawford wrote: "How we have served the LORD together as a team and stayed together is based upon a real faith in the LORD Jesus Christ and His marvelous grace."

TRANSFERRING THE PAGES OF GOD'S WORD INTO OUR LIVES

Transferring the pages of God's Word from the Bible into our lives is difficult for many. We often complicate the simplicity of the gospel with dictionary definitions, a perusal of the Hebrew and Greek, and research into what man has written. "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (II Corinthians 11:3) "... hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (I Corinthians 1:20) Perhaps, it is this simplicity that often gets us off track from focusing on the Word for application of principles for living.

 There is rampant crime and a wave of destruction resulting from the breakup of families. This stems from two basic areas of instruction in which most of us have lacked either biblical instruction and/or knowledge or wisdom in the application of godly principles. This includes the relationship God has designed between a one-flesh husband and wife and His guidelines for the rearing of children. In our teachings, we share with our readers principles from God's Word dealing with topics which are often taken out of context, or many times not even considered by husbands and wives and the extension of these into the lives of their children. God established from the beginning that Adam needed a help meet - ONE person to aid him, help him, protect him and that person would be his wife. The same word used for help (in help meet) is that used repeatedly to describe God's help for others.


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"And the LORD shall help them, and deliver them: ... because they trust in him." "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." "Fear not ... I will help thee, saith the LORD ..." (Psalm 37:40, 46:1; Isaiah 41:10,14) 

We're not saying that a spouse replaces God, BUT study carefully:

bulletHow a wife can and should help her husband 
bulletThe husband's need for wisdom in receiving and finding help from his wife.

Again, the principles are simple, but are we willing to contextually apply biblical principles/teachings to our lives?  When we understand the contextual definition of help, as it applies to a husband AND his help meet, we have a different picture not only of the privilege it is for a wife to serve her husband, but for the husband to humble himself to depend upon his wife to help him.  This is because GOD hath made the twain one! The other side of this miraculous provision is the husband's responsibility to nurture and care lovingly for his wife - and for both to desire to spend time with one another: to serve one another with the same type of love Jesus "applied" for us to model here on this earth (charity). It's so simple. The guidelines are clear. By following such insight, couples do not get entangled in the web of an oppressive boss/slave relationship between them. Priorities for career and personal interests do not rise to the surface above the need to serve one another in the love expressed in I Corinthians 13. It is taught as charitable giving - that which you give away and expect nothing in return, versus giving and then expecting returns from the "donee"!

HUSBANDS AND WIVES ARE TO SUBMIT TO ONE ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD

Likewise when husbands and wives first make the decision to submit one to another in the fear of God, their rudder is set to be, in the flesh, the picture that Christ expects of those who partake in His holy institution, marriage. It won't be marred by disrespect, unkind words or selfish actions. This is an outgrowth of knowing God who is love. His attributes are described through the word charity: 
bulletcharity suffereth long 
bullet is kind, 
bullet envieth not, 
bullet vaunteth not itself, 
bullet is not puffed up, 
bullet does not behave itself unseemly, 
bullet seeketh not her own, 
bullet is not easily provoked, 
bullet thinketh no evil, 
bullet rejoiceth not in iniquity, but in truth, 
bullet beareth all things, 
bullet believeth all things, 
bullet hopeth all things, 
bulletendureth all things

Charity NEVER fails because it is Who God is! (I Corinthians 13:4-8)
 
Job knew God. Never was there a question of Job's loyalty to his wife: "I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" (Job 31:1) Never was there any question about the submission, positionally, of Jesus Christ to God the Father, nor about the love of God the Father for Jesus Christ. "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:22,23)

 Submission to evil activities is not of God, whether it be man's laws or ideas, or those made by the church which oppose God's Word.  Submission to God's Word will "deliver us from evil":  "... I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." (Psalm 101:2,3) Participation in evil activities with our eyes, ears or any other part of the body is forbidden by God. If God says it's sin, it is evil, and we shouldn't let it become a part of our home or a wedge between our flesh (husbands and wives).  Write us if you have questions or read more on our web site at www.RestorationOfTheFamily.com.

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Oviedo, FL 32762-1342