Dressed for Church

[rag4aCrown]

Sunday, my mother wanted to go buy her some peppermint, so I took her. She had nothing to eat yet and I took her to eat.

I was in shorts, cowboy boots and an ole white t-shirt that was clean but looked like it should be burned, and my rag.

There was a couple sitting at a booth caddy corner from us. I knew they had just came from church somewhere, according to their wearing appeal.

The woman facing me kept glaring at me in disgust; God doesn't lead us blind folded. The woman began making remarks about how some people were dressed in church. "Well they come wearing shorts and everything else", she said; while making pun over my attire.

Lord forgive her; it is obvious to me that she does not know YOU, nor what her wicked mouth does speak.

I believe she should have been praising God they even bother to show up; regardless what they may show up wearing. When they hear what gossip there is about them, and they will, for there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed, those folks won't be back to put another penny in your collection plate.

Do we not know Him, yet?

These were ole timers. Do they not read the same scripture we read?

I did not address these hypocrites. I was honoring my mother, a disbelieving believer. However the Spirit in me was rising up; but the spirit in her would have ran away.

I knew I was to approach them to reproach, reprove or rebuke the spirit of gossip, but I did it not. I had respector of persons and did sin against God. I put my mother before God, the gossippers and the children she gossip about. Shame on me Lord. Forgive me, what I should do, I don't; and what I shouldn't do that I do!!! Forgive me Lord, a sinner. Bless mu mother with your wisdom and understanding. And myself with the same boldness to speak forth, even if she is with me. Lord, you know I really try to not fester the foul spirit that rules her; always wanting to kill something or destroy it, and speaking forth about "luck".

I do not believe in luck; I believe in GOD. Amen

How did the woman that gossip represent her Lord?

It is no surprise He is coming back with vengeance and wrath. Amen.
Will you (myself, I speak to me first) be counted worthy to escape the day that God pours His wrath upon this earth? Will you be counted worthy to stand in the day that Christ returns in the clouds with His angels beside Him?

All praise glory and honor be unto God Amen

 

[B-A-C]

1 Sam 16:7; But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Jas 2:1; My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.
Jas 2:2; For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes,
Jas 2:3; and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
Jas 2:4; have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?

 

[amadeus2]

At one place where I attended church services regularly for a number of years the people regularly dressed for church in the best apparel they could, which usually meant long covering dresses and suits and ties. I believed (and still believe) in looking my best for God so I also wore a full suit and tie, but one experience brought clearly home to me that some people among them (among us) would take on an attitude against a visitor who didn't meet their expectations... the expectations of men.

One evening a middle-aged lady unknown to us came into our meeting wearing filthy threadbare clothing. She smelled very strongly of alcohol and other things that would have offended nearly anyone's nose. Yet, she really did come in with a repentant attitude. She walked up to the front of the congregation and knelt down at an altar to pray and ask for God's mercy, for God's help. The men in the congregation understandably did not approach her but it really bothered me that neither the pastor or nor any of the other ministers moved from their places. (I was not any kind of formal minister at the time.) In the background, but loud enough for many people including the praying lady to hear, one of the pastor's sons spoke the heavily sarcastic words, "Who lit up the cross over the church?"

Of all of the sisters present, only one, my wife, recognized the lady's need, walked up, knelt beside her and prayed with her while putting her arms around the woman who no one normally in their flesh would want to touch . When I saw my wife was alone, that not one other sister moved to join her, I got up and walked forward and stood behind my wife laying my on her and joined with them in prayer.

That was the beginning of the end of our stay in that assembly. God did lead us elsewhere.

Our new place also may contain hypocrites, but then who of us has never been a hypocrite? With God's help will we not decrease in our old selves and increase in Him? If we knowingly remain in our hypocrisy we are to be blamed and will receive our just reward, will we not?

"For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?" James 2:2-4

 

[rag4aCrown]

Yes, being born into the Lord's fold I confessed to Him many times, and still do, "Lord I don't want to be a hypocrite; you know well there is plenty of those".

Then God reveal to me my own hypocrisy, the way we are, the things we do, our worldly conversations; there is not one of us that is not a hypocrite.

I made myself one by not going forth in the Lord and speaking what "ye ought to say". Amen

 

[rag4aCrown]

Dressed in sackcloth and ashes...
What do they think that means?