Dear Pastor,
You never told me…and now look where I am!
Every Sunday I dressed my best to
attend a church that I have been attending all of my life—38 years to be exact.
In fact, it was the church home of my parents and their parents as well. They
were married in that church, that sparkling white church on the hill. My
husband and I were also married in that church, about 600 guests were in
attendance on that lovely day.
We went to church faithfully
every Sunday, rain, sleet, summer, or winter. We were dressed in the finest
attire from head to toe, sharp as a whistle. We sat—hmm, on the same side of
the church, usually the fourth or fifth pew from the altar, so we could get a
good look at the pastor, choir, and speakers, if any.
My best friend was also a member
of the church, she and her husband and their two children, of whom we were the
god-parents of, such well respected children, attending one of the finest
elementary schools in the country.
My husband and I weren’t
millionaires but we never wanted for anything. I gave to charities every year,
sometimes twice a year. I smile and speak to people in the stores, I helped an
old lady cross the street one day, I even drove my 85-year old aunt to the
hospital, in a snow storm, I might add. My husband and I tithed 10% of our
income every Sunday and were active members.
I even raised $10,674.76 one year
at our annual bake off sale. And the next day they congratulated me for all my
hard work, and the gospel choir sang like they never sang before! The entire
congregation was on their feet! The entire church was rocking!
My best friend and her husband
aren’t here…turns out they repented regularly and had a closer relationship
with our heavenly Father than we did. I never knew repentance was a major
factor in salvation…we were friends for 20 years but the conversation on
repentance never came up. I guess they thought we already knew.
Well—now that I think back, I do
remember them saying something about repenting, studying and gaining knowledge
from some of the Apocrypha books as well; but, my favorite movie was on at the
time.
But how did they know?! Simple,
they had fellowship with each other everyday; reading their Bibles, meditating
on scriptures; repenting daily; and my husband and I did not. I thought church
was all I needed.
And now, I’m being thrown into
the lake of fire from a lack of knowledge. I heard that scripture before, but I
thought it meant educational knowledge, not spiritual knowledge. And I
definitely didn’t think it had anything to do with salvation. And now, I stand
here in this place that was reserved for Satan and his angels. Thinking on how
I ended up here.
Will you look over there! It’s
Mrs. Haden from down the street, that nice old lady?! She’s here?! She gave out
cookies, food, and candy to the neighborhood children everyday and—what! My
aunt Lucy! She went to church everyday but Saturday. And was always singing and
praising our Messiah Yeshua. And there’s Uncle Bob—well, I had a feeling he’d be
here.
Ahh! There’s my husband, seventh
in line. The sins of his youth were enormous, and as a broker he misguided some
of his clients, but it was only a few, and it was for the better of the
company, so he thought. Ooh! And look there’s his boss, up next. Ouch! Huh,
that’s gotta hurt! Whew-wee!
I believed in my Father
God/Yahweh, I did, I truly did! But he says he never knew me! And—well, who can
argue with God/Yahweh, his judgments are fair. There’s no repenting now, life
on earth is over, but if I only had one more hour. I would repent for
everything that I’ve done knowingly and unknowingly; for all the sins of my
youth, including that abortion at 18, and sex before marriage; that $500
necklace I stole when I was 19; oh, and for regularly gossiping about folks;
and for cursing, and for not honestly helping the needy, I don’t know the name
of that charity; oh, and for watching those dirty movies on Friday evenings,
and so much more. If I only had one more hour!
My righteous acts didn’t outweigh
my unrighteous acts, and I didn’t know what that meant until now. My pastor
never told me, but then again my salvation wasn’t up to him. I always thought
in order to go to heaven you had to belong to a church, but I guess I was wrong
there too; because I do not see my neighbor, Carol or her husband. Oh, that
reminds me, and then I’d ask God/Yahweh for forgiveness for the time when
I—well, I don’t have time to tell you, I’m up next…
DON’T LOOSE YOUR
REWARD!
WAKE UP NOW—REPENT!
Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for
lack of knowledge: because thou has rejected knowledge, I will also reject
thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of
thy God, I will also forget thy children.”
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