Listening? Or Lamenting?

"LISTENING?--OR LAMENTING?"--MO    November 17, 1974               NO.320--GP

--Are Your Famous Last Words: "If I Only Had?"

  

                1. I HAD A DREAM LAST NIGHT: A GROUP OF US WERE STAYING IN THIS FRENCH HOME. You and I had a bedroom way upstairs in this third or fourth floor garret and we were sleeping with this beautiful French girl who seemed to be very, very much in love with me. I think she must represent the French youth of at least some of them.

 

                2. WE CAME DOWN TO BREAKFAST (it seemed like it was a little cold too, at least up where we were sleeping) and her father and mother and brothers and sisters and some of our own young people were all gathered' round the table for breakfast. There were at least a dozen or 15 of us there altogether, like a nice little Colony.

 

                3. THE MOTHER AND FATHER WERE BEING VERY KIND AND HOSPITABLE TO US AS THE EUROPEANS ALMOST ALWAYS ARE. The mother had fixed us a good breakfast and the father made a good fire to warm the big living room-dining room we were eating in, and they were more or less trying their best to be very good to us. Everybody seemed to be happy and having a good fellowship and enjoying it. We had a real good breakfast and everybody was talking and laughing and praising the Lord like we always do.

 

                4. THEN AT THE CLOSE OF THE MEAL I ASKED IF THERE WAS A BIBLE HANDY as I always used to do when we were guests in a home or even at our own home. Being guests I didn't try to push it on them, but I would say, "It's our custom in our Family to have a little time of devotion or Bible study and read a chapter out of the Bible or a Psalm or Proverb and have a little prayer before we go about our various duties".

 

                5. SO THE MOTHER OF THE HOME FOUND A SMALL NEW TESTAMENT with which she seemed rather unfamiliar, as it apparently had been given to her as a gift. I presume they were Catholics as most French people are. The mother had already started to clear the dishes, she and some of the girls, but the rest were all still sitting around the table.

 

                6. SO EVERYONE STOPPED FOR A MOMENT AND STARTED LISTENING. The mother continued standing, as she apparently didn't expect it to last very long, so she just stood beside the table. I suggested that we take turns reading the verses around the circle, each one reading a verse, as we used to do even when the children were small, in order to hold everyone's attention.

 

                7. WHEN IT CAME TO THEIR TURN, IF THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PLACE, WE KNEW THEY HADN'T BEEN LISTENING! So since the mother had the Bible I suggested she read the first verse or so, and she began to read in French-to my surprise and a little unexpected, although of course it was quite natural she should read in her own language.

 

                8. AS SHE READ IN FRENCH, HER OWN FAMILY AND CHILDREN SAT AND LISTENED RESPECTFULLY SINCE IT WAS IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE. But our own kids seemed to be a little restless since they couldn't understand French. Apparently she hadn't understood about passing the Bible around, for she continued to read on in French.

 

                9. BUT PRETTY SOON OUR OWN KIDS BEGAN TO GET A LITTLE BORED WITH THE FRENCH READING AND BEGAN TO DRIFT OUT OF THE ROOM INTO ANOTHER ROOM WHERE THEY WERE WATCHING TV, and I could hear the TV blaring away almost drowning out the Bible reading! Of course, I couldn't understand French either, but I didn't want to embarrass the dear lady, our hostess, so I sat there listening respectfully. But I was very embarrassed that our own kids didn't have enough respect to sit there and listen even if they couldn't understand it! But instead they went into the next room to watch TV!

 

                10. FINALLY I INTERRUPTED OUR HOSTESS AND GENTLY SUGGESTED THAT MAYBE WE'D BETTER HAVE THE READING IN ENGLISH, since most of us understood English, including our hostess and her family, and since our own kids didn't understand French. She agreed, and I called our kids back in again. I didn't want to make a big fuss about it in front of strangers, but I was very upset about them walking out on the French family while we were having this Bible reading, so I was trying to be polite and not cause a big scene.

 

                11. I CALLED OUR OWN KIDS BACK IN AGAIN AND SAID, "WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT IN ENGLISH NOW, SO YOU CAN COME BACK IN." I tried not to be dictatorial, but tried instead to firmly invite them, except they knew if they didn't obey voluntarily they'd have to reckon with me later!

 

                12. SO THEY STRAGGLED IN RELUCTANTLY' CAUSE THEY'D GOTTEN REAL INTERESTED IN SOME GOOD TV SHOW, and they sat down grumblingly, saying or muttering under their breath, "Such a good show!--Why do we have to come back in here?" Of course this is all very symbolic: They got so interested in TV they didn't have time for the Bible!

 

                13. WHEN OUR OWN KIDS HAD WALKED OUT, THE FRENCH KIDS SEEMED RATHER DISMAYED BECAUSE THEY THEMSELVES REALLY WERE HUNGRY AND WANTED TO HEAR. So they were happy to see them return, and we began reading in English. But we hadn't been reading long when, of all things, our own kids began to sneak out and watch TV again! Well, I was so ashamed and embarrassed about our own kids setting such a bad example!

 

                14. FINALLY ONE OF OUR OWN LEADERS APOLOGISED AS HE WENT OUT SAYING, "I'M SORRY DAD!--BUT IT'S SUCH A GOOD SHOW we just hate to miss it! Please forgive us, but we've just got to see this show through!" So pretty soon, sure enough, all our own kids were out watching TV again!

 

                15. BY THIS TIME THE FRENCH MOTHER AND FATHER WERE GETTING A LITTLE RESTLESS THEMSELVES AND ANXIOUS TO BE ABOUT THEIR OWN WORK. So the mother stopped reading and went ahead clearing the table while we were reading, and I could hear her and some of the girls in the kitchen washing dishes. The father too had disappeared to get ready for work, as fathers usually do.

 

                16. AT LAST I WAS LEFT SITTING THERE WITH NO ONE BUT YOU AND THIS FRENCH GIRL and one or two others of the young folks of the French family! They were all looking rather sad and disillusioned, for they seemed really hungry and wanted to have the Bible study, but were really disappointed that even our own kids weren't interested!

 

                17. WE COULD HEAR THE TV IN THE NEXT ROOM BLARING AWAY AND OUR OWN KIDS WERE LAUGHING AND NOISY. I became so angry finally that I got up, slammed the Bible shut and said so loudly that everybody in the house could hear me.

 

                18. "ALL RIGHT!--I'M THROUGH!--IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO LISTEN TO GOD, THEN GOD'S NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU! He's not going to speak to you any more until you're ready to listen!" I just gave up and stomped out of the room and walked back upstairs. I remember passing the bathroom on the 2nd floor where I could see the father shaving in preparation for going to work, and I thought,

 

                19. "WELL, THAT'S TO BE EXPECTED OF THE OLDER GENERATION THAT HAVE THEIR MINDS ON THEIR JOBS and housework and business of the day. At least they were willing to listen for a few minutes, but they've always got something 'more important' to do."

 

                20. BUT I WAS TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED IN OUR OWN KIDS THAT THEY WOULD WALK OUT ON THE WORD just because they were so interested in this TV show! I thought, "What a terribly poor example to these French kids!"

 

                21. BUT ODDLY ENOUGH, YOU AND THE FRENCH KIDS FOLLOWED ME ON UPSTAIRS!--That must be symbolic, too: It was like even though our own kids had disappointed them, the French kids still wanted to hear the Words and follow and were hungry and even more sincere and serious and sober about it than our own kids! They apparently felt they really needed it!

 

                22. SO WE AND THE FRENCH KIDS WENT ON BACK UP TO THE QUIET OF THE WAY UPSTAIRS BEDROOM where it seemed like this special French girl wanted to be right close by my side every moment. She didn't want to leave me even though our own kids did. So she and the French children of the family came on up and followed me up the stairs.

 

                23. THE UPSTAIRS "UPPER ROOM" IS SIGNIFICANT AND USUALLY SYMBOLISES INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP WITH THE LORD in prayer and devotion and meditation, the secret place for Bible study and prayer, the "closet". So just this little handful of us went way back upstairs to this garret bedroom apparently to continue this Bible study with the Lord.

 

                24. MEANWHILE SOME OF THE LEADERS OF OUR OWN KIDS CALLED UP THE STAIRS AFTER US SAYING, "WE'RE SORRY, DAD!--WE'LL COME BACK! We'll come back if you'll just come back down!--Please! We're sorry, but we just got so interested in this TV show!"

 

                25. BUT I SAID, "NOTHING DOING!--WE'RE GOING UP HERE AND HAVE IT!--and furthermore, "I said, "God's not going to speak to you any more until you're ready to listen, and if you want to listen you can come up here and listen in this quiet place and get away from that damn TV and all that racket downstairs!"

 

                26. "BUT GOD'S NOT GOING TO SPEAK TO YOU ANY MORE UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO LISTEN TO HIM!--AND HE'S NOT GOING TO LISTEN TO YOU EITHER!" I can remember saying that so clearly!--"You're going to be asking Him to listen to you, but He's not going to, because you won't listen to Him!" And I woke up!--Boom!--Just like that!

 

                27. ALL THE FRENCH CHILDREN SEEMED SO SAD THAT OUR OWN KIDS HADN'T BEEN INTERESTED IN LISTENING, BUT THEY THEMSELVES WERE SO HUNGRY THEY FOLLOWED ME ALL THE WAY UP! I'm sure everything in that dream was significant. Even the smallest details in the Lord's dreams like this are almost always significant: Like the fact it was a French home it obviously symbolises France.

 

                28. THE PARENTS WERE AT LEAST HOSPITABLE AND RESPECTFUL, LIKE THE OLDER GENERATION THERE, who seemed to be quite interested because of the effect we were having on their own children. They had taken us in and were being good to us, housing and feeding us, and were even willing to listen to us a little bit.

 

                29. ALTHOUGH OF COURSE THEY WERE MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN GETTING THEIR OWN WORK DONE, AS THE OLDER GENERATION AND SYSTEM USUALLY ARE. Their work is of course almost always much more important than the Word, but they were very pleased that their children were interested. In fact, they seemed to be happy to have us there at least, because we were having a good effect on their own children.

 

                30. THE FACT THAT SHE BEGAN READING IN FRENCH WAS ONLY NATURAL-THAT'S THEIR LANGUAGE! And I who seemed to be new there remember thinking that our kids had been there long enough they should have learned enough French by this time so they could at least follow the reading in the Bible!

 

                31. BUT OUR OWN KIDS WERE NOT EVEN INTERESTED IN GOING BACK TO WORK LIKE THE PARENTS, BUT WERE MORE INTERESTED IN MERELY PLAYING and entertainment on television than they were in either work or the Word! So I was so disappointed in our own kids, they set such a poor example to these precious French young people!

 

                32. I COULD EVEN UNDERSTAND THE PARENTS AND FORGIVE THEM FOR FEELING THEY HAD TO GO BACK TO THEIR WORK. They had listened respectfully for a few minutes. But if I couldn't even get the attention of my own kids, what could you expect from these parents and strangers? So they had slipped quietly out and seemed pleased at least that I was holding the attention of their own children.

 

                33. THEY DIDN'T EVEN SEEM SURPRISED THAT THE OTHERS HAD LEFT TO WATCH TV, as it seemed they were used to kids doing that and thought it was the perfectly natural thing to do. But they seemed rather pleased and surprised that their own children were so interested and wanted to listen.

 

                34. THEY LET OUR KIDS GO OUT AND PLAY AND BACK TO THEIR TV WHILE THEY LET THEIR KIDS SIT THERE AND LISTEN! It was as though they certainly didn't mind our kids being interested in TV: They could watch it if they wanted to, and use their house and their food, and they were quite hospitable.

 

                35. BUT THEY SEEMED TO BE QUITE PLEASED THAT THEIR OWN CHILDREN WERE LISTENING. But I was very, very angry with our kids! It was bad enough they hadn't learned any French after having been there so long! But it was even worse that they seemed to have no respect for our hostess or for the Bible reading, even if it was in a language they couldn't understand! But worst of all, the fact that they so quickly lost interest and went back to their TV show even when it was read in English made me just furious!

 

                36. IT SHOWED OUR KIDS WERE MORE INTERESTED IN THE TV SHOW THAN THE WORD! But I was really pleased that the French kids were so serious, sober and even desperate and hungry that they didn't want to leave me for a moment! Even though they were really disappointed in our kids, the French kids were still so hungry for the Word that they followed me and didn't want to leave my side, just clinging to every word!--Which of course is like the hungry French young people!

 

                37. AT LEAST THAT ONE FRENCH FAMILY IS EVIDENTLY SYMBOLIC OF THE YOUTH THERE WHO ARE HUNGRY AND WILL LISTEN AND SOME PARENTS WHO WILL BE FAVORABLE! This one family symbolised the family of God who did respond. But our own young people had lost interest and were more interested in the TV!

 

                38. THE THING THAT REALLY WOKE ME UP WAS THAT I WAS YELLING SO LOUD from upstairs when they said, "Dad, if you'll just come back down we'll listen!--We're sorry!" I just yelled back down at them loudly and angrily, "Nothing doing!"

 

                39. "GOD'S FINISHED TALKING TO YOU! HE'S NOT GOING TO SPEAK TO YOU ANY MORE UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO LISTEN!--And furthermore He's not even going to listen to you until you're ready to listen to Him!" It must be that right now apparently they're so interested in their TV show that they haven't got much time for the Word!

 

                40. HOW COULD I POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT THE SITUATION?--NO ONE HAS TOLD US THIS!--Faith doesn't even write me! In the dream one of the men leaders said, "Dad we're sorry!"--And I said, "When you're crying out to Him for help, He's not going to help you!" It was like I symbolised the Lord! That I wasn't going to come back down or listen to them or heed their pleas for help because I knew they didn't seem to want to listen very much.

 

                41. BUT I YELLED BACK DOWN, "IF YOU WANT TO LISTEN YOU CAN COME UP HERE and do it and get away from all that noise!" At least the French kids were sober and hungry and eager to hear the rest and followed me upstairs where they could listen.

 

                42. I'M JUST WONDERING IF THIS COULD POSSIBLY BE TRUE?--That our own kids are too busy with our shows and that their own Colonies are such a poor example that the outside kids are now just having to turn to the Words themselves alone for leadership because our own kids are such a poor example and too busy with other things! But at least the hungry youth outside are still pleading to listen and eager to follow.

 

                43. THE FRENCH KIDS FOLLOWED ME UPSTAIRS IN WONDER, ALMOST LIKE THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY OUR OWN KIDS WERE NOT WILLING TO LISTEN! But it was all new and wonderful to them and they couldn't understand really what was happening almost like they didn't understand why they were so much more interested than anyone else! They were wonderingly, awesomely wide-eyed following me upstairs to the quiet bedroom.

 

                44. EVEN THAT BEDROOM IS SIGNIFICANT, THE PLACE FOR THOSE WHO REALLY WANT THE INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP, those who really want to go to bed with me spiritually! All these things are physical symbolisms of the spiritual realities: Some want to be alone and in love with me and the Lord's Words in spite of the failures of the others and the poor example of our own young people! It's amazing!--It doesn't seem to take long:

 

                45. APPARENTLY SOME OF OUR OWN KIDS ARE ALREADY BECOMING LIKE ISRAEL OR THE CHURCHES! "Familiarity breeds contempt", and they've had so much, they're so full they're glutted and they don't even really appreciate the Lord's Words any more.

 

                46. WHEREAS THESE NEW STRANGE YOUTH, JUST YOUNG NEW BOTTLES, WERE SO EAGER AND SO HUNGRY THEY JUST HUNG ON EVERY WORD! They weren't the least bit interested in just watching TV, and they certainly weren't interested in what their father and mother were doing-the usual things they expected them to do and which were necessary: Somebody had to do the housework and earn the money to house and feed them!--You can't blame the parents. They're already involved in the System, but at least they can help us.

 

                47. BUT IT WAS SUCH A SHOCK AND SURPRISE TO ME, I WAS SO EMBARRASSED AND SO DISAPPOINTED IN OUR OWN KIDS THAT THEY SHOWED SUCH LITTLE INTEREST! They were so busy with that show business that they didn't have time to listen to the Words! It was really almost amazing to me how, in spite of our own kids' dandy bad example that here these outsiders-these new kids hearing the Words for the first time-were more hungry and interested, sincere and eager to follow, more willing to listen, not just willing but really wanting to follow, that they did follow me all the way upstairs, away from not only the parents' interests but our own kids who were too busy with their show! These strange new little outside kids were willing to stick close and follow me upstairs and wanted more!

 

                48. THE AWFUL FEELING I HAD AT THE END WAS A TERRIBLE FEELING OF WARNING, LIKE THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD WERE GOING TO FALL on the kids for their waning interest in the Word and their growing interest in show business instead! So that when they cried for help under the rod of the Lord's chastisements then He wasn't going to listen to them! He was really going to sock it to them!

 

                49. WHEN THEY PRAYED FOR HELP, HE WASN'T GOING TO LISTEN! He was just going to let them suffer for their sin--their real sin of not being willing to listen to Him! When they needed help, God wasn't going to listen. When they tried to get His attention, He was going to go His own way!

 

                50. BUT IF THEY WANTED TO FOLLOW HIM, THEN ALL RIGHT, THEY COULD! They could go upstairs to the quiet place. But He wasn't going to go chasing them around trying to beat them over the head with a Bible to get them to listen! But the hungry and thirsty ones, the real sober and sincere and needy and desperate ones--desperate for the Word--those who couldn't live without it--followed even when our own kids wouldn't!

 

                51. I FELT GOD WAS REALLY GOING TO JUDGE OUR KIDS FOR IT and their terrible example and their disinterest in His Word and being more interested in entertainment than entering into the Word, more interested in attainments in the entertainment world, in the entertainment of the world, instead of the entering in of the Word!

 

                52. THE ENTERTAINMENT IS A TOOL AND IT HAS ITS PLACE TO REACH THE KIDS AND THE NATIONS. But the minute it begins to take God's place, where they are entering into the entertainment of the world more than entering into the Word, then God is very jealous and He'll have no other gods before Him, not even if it's a tool that He's given you to use for His glory!

 

                53. WHEN YOU START GIVING THE TOOL MORE OF YOUR TIME AND WORSHIPPING THE CREATION MORE THAN THE CREATOR, THEN GOD REALLY BECOMES FURIOUS! When you've forgotten what He gave it to you for and you've forgotten Him and His Word, which are most important of all, He's apt to turn right around and take it away from you! He'll destroy it, when it was intended to be used for a good use, because you began to fall down and worship it like an idol!--It's become your god because you're putting this other thing first, whatever it is, instead of Him and His Word!

 

                54. SO WHAT HE USUALLY DOES IS DESTROY EVEN THE THING HE GAVE YOU TO USE, BECAUSE YOU'VE BEGUN TO WORSHIP IT MORE THAN HIM, the Creation more than the Creator! You've become more interested in things than the Thinker, God Himself! And my last impression was that God was really going to judge you for it, and that you were really going to suffer for it!

 

                55. BECAUSE YOU HAD DESERTED THE LORD, HE WAS GOING TO TURN AROUND AND DESERT YOU for a little while, too, and let you suffer for it!--And maybe that's what's happening right now with all the trouble you're having there!

 

                56. EVEN GETTING OUT THE LIT IS NOT AS IMPORTANT AS GETTING INTO THE LIT YOURSELF FIRST! We need to get the Words in as well as out! Some of you are really getting them out but not getting them in.--And you'll never have the spiritual strength and stamina nor the spirit that will even sustain your bodily strength and stamina to keep going to get out the Word--unless you yourself are drinking in the Word and being spiritually nourished and strengthened by it yourself first.

 

                57. YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE IT IN BEFORE YOU CAN GIVE IT OUT! You've got to be sold on it before you yourself can sell it. If you're not even sold on it enough to read it and drink it yourself, if you don't even like the product enough yourself to partake of it, but are just trying to push it off on others, you're not going to make a very good salesman!

 

                58. YOU CAN'T SELL TO OTHERS WHAT YOU YOURSELF ARE NOT SOLD ON! It is the sincerity, the honesty, the reality, the real spirit of you kids that really comes through when you're really sold out and sold on your product that really helps you to sell it! But if you yourselves are not even using it, you're not going to be able to inspire others to use it!

 

                59. I REMEMBER MANY'S THE TIME WHEN SALESMEN TRIED TO SELL ME SOMETHING AND I'VE ASKED THEM POINT BLANK: "WELL, DO YOU HAVE ONE?--DO YOU USE IT?--HOW DOES IT WORK FOR YOU?--Do you like it?--Are you sold on it?"--And a lot of times they've enthusiastically raved about how good it was and it really worked for them and they knew it would work for me.--You could tell they were really being honest and sincere about it!

 

                60. BUT THEN THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER TIMES WHEN I COULD JUST SEE THROUGH ALL THOSE PHONEY SMILES AND FAKEY ENTHUSIASM!--I could tell they weren't really sold on it themselves and when I'd challenge them about it, they'd stammer and stutter around and say, "Well, I, uh...er...You know, I...uh...don't really have one myself--I don't use one myself, but they tell me it's good, so it must be good!"

 

                61. BUT YOU'LL NEVER SELL ANYTHING TO OTHERS THAT WAY UNLESS YOU'RE SOLD ON IT YOURSELF AND PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH! It's like some of you marrieds who are complaining that your mates have deserted or neglected you, but you've forgotten how and when you deserted and neglected them, so it's no wonder they finally gave up on you and deserted you!

 

                62. IT'S JUST LIKE THE LORD DESERTS THE CHURCH WHEN SHE NEGLECTS AND DESERTS HIM!--He finally gets sick and fed up with her and turns His back on her and deserts her even when she's yelling for help! He lets her suffer for awhile for her sins of neglect and disinterest and desertion!

 

                63. SO DON'T BE SURPRISED WHEN THE LORD SEEMS TO NEGLECT AND DESERT YOU AND DOESN'T LISTEN TO YOUR WORDS: YOU'VE PROBABLY NEGLECTED AND DESERTED HIM AND REFUSED TO LISTEN TO HIM!--And after people have refused to listen for a long time, the Lord doesn't always inform them in advance what He's going to do next, because He figures if after that long a time of neglecting to listen, they won't listen now either!

 

                64. SO LET THE LISTENERS BEWARE EVERYWHERE THAT THE SAME THING DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU! But of course those who are not listening won't even hear this warning, will they? They'll go on their merry way until they run into trouble and try to get God to listen and He won't hear them!

 

                65. I'M SURE SOMEBODY MUST NEED THIS WARNING OR GOD WOULDN'T HAVE GIVEN IT!--And the fact that it was in France amongst the French must mean that our kids there are some of those God is trying to warn.

 

                66. SO LISTENERS BEWARE! Those who are listening will be aware of what's happening and they will listen and they will follow, thank God! But those who aren't listening won't even know there is anything wrong until their world begins to crumble around their ears that won't listen!

 

                67. SO LET THE LISTENERS BEWARE! GOD BLESS THE LISTENERS! Don't let it happen to you! Are you listening? Well, you'd better listen, or you're going to be sorry! You'd better listen or you're going to be lamenting pretty soon, and maybe you already area--either listening or lamenting! I've got one leader right now who writes me long laments because he didn't listen when I told him to and now it's too late, the damage is done!

 

                68. ARE YOU LISTENING?--OR ALREADY LAMENTING? I hate to hear these non-listeners laments! They really make me sick as they must make God sick because of their indifference and lukewarmness and lack of real interest in His Word and failure to listen when they needed to and when it would have done some good before it was too late!

 

                69. "STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN!"--BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE AND YOU'RE ONLY LEFT WITH LAMENTS!--Which are you?--A listener or a lamenter?--Or which will you be? God have mercy on you and help you to listen before it is too late and you're left with nothing but laments!

 

                70. THE TROUBLE WITH MOST LAMENTER IS THEY HAVEN'T LISTENED FOR SO LONG THEY DON'T EVEN REALISE THEY'RE NOT LISTENING ANYMORE! Just like the Lord said in His last message to Israel before He shut up for 300 years and refused to talk to them any more! He was quoting them saying, "You say to Me, 'Wherein have we robbed Thee?'" And He says, "Were they ashamed?--Nay, they could not even blush!"

 

                71. SOME ARE SO MUCH LIKE THE JEWS TODAY, ALWAYS ASKING, "WHY ME? WHY ME?"--They haven't listened for so long they don't know what they're doing that's wrong and why God is chastising them!

 

                72. THE CHURCHES TOO ARE THE SAME WAY: THE CHURCHES HAVEN'T LISTENED FOR SO LONG THEY WONDER WHAT IS WRONG AND WHY THEY AREN'T GETTING ANYWHERE! They don't even know they're not listening! Just like the Lord said, "Their ears are so deaf they cannot hear; their eyes so blind they cannot see; their hearts so hardened they cannot understand!"

 

                73. IT ALMOST FRIGHTENS ME TO THINK HOW THAT ALMOST EVERYTHING I'VE GOTTEN FROM THE LORD LATELY HAS BEEN A WARNING! I think some of the saddest words in the English language were found written all over the cell walls of a criminal who was executed for his crimes!--They found that he'd spent his time while waiting for execution writing the words all over his cell walls: "If I only had! If I only had! If I only had!"--If he only had what?--If he had only listened!--To God's Voice or his conscience or the warnings of his parents or preachers or teachers or leaders?

 

                74. ARE THOSE GOING TO BE YOUR FAMOUS LAST WORDS!--"IF I ONLY HAD!"?--IF I ONLY HAD LISTENED?--If I only had listened I wouldn't now be lamenting! "If only had!"Had you listened you wouldn't have lamented, "If I only had!"

 

                75. ARE YOU LISTENING?--OR LAMENTING: "IF I ONLY HAD!"

 

 

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family