Yesterday I was looking at the label on one of my suit slacks that needed laundering and it read, “WORSTED WOOL, DRY CLEAN ONLY,” Lately I have been looking for ways to cut expenses with the slow economy so I thought I would try washing them in my washing machine with mild detergent on the gentle Cycle. I read somewhere this would do no harm and I could save a few bucks. Of course, unless I ruined them in the process.
Then I started to meditate. While the washer was filling with water getting ready for the brief wash-rinse- spin cycle, a thought occurred to me, more of a question. Why had I always looked for Wool Suits, especially Worsted Wool when I shopped for a suit?
As a business person I wear suits frequently for meetings. The ones I own are all wool, most are Worsted wool because it is known for it’s smoothness and durability. Wool suits cost more to buy than suits made from synthetic fabrics, but why had I purchased the more expensive Wool Suits?
The reason. Herbert W. Armstrong said I should, so I did. I grew up in the World Wide Church of God and Herbert frequently lectured the membership on personal finances. He taught, “We should buy the best that we could afford.” The additional cost is worth it, he reasoned, because in the long run you get more for your money. This is true in many cases, I would agree with him, in the case of wool suits, they do last longer. He wore fine wool suits, then so would I.
With the wash cycle under way, related Bible verses started percolating in my head...one in particular in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. That wasn’t quite what I was searching for , maybe it was a Proverb that I remembered, something Solomon had to say about it...THEN IT HIT ME!
I HAD TO CHUCKLE AT THE IRONY, HOW HAD I MISSED IT UNTIL NOW?
FALSE PROPHET, and Pastor (Shepherd) General of the WCG, Herbert Armstrong, had dominated my family life, religious life, personal life for 45 years drawing me into believing a blasphemous FALSE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST. Ironically, there he was again, in my mind, at the podium, preaching at me. But now portrayed as a RAVENING WOLF, Dressed LITERALLY in SHEEP’S CLOTHING, A CUSTOM TAILORED WOOL SUIT! He was the Matt. 7:15 “RAVENING WOLF” devouring me figuratively and literally. Stealing money and hours of my life that God had blessed me with, and doing it while preaching attired in dark blue, pin striped, SHEEP’S CLOTHING. Herbert often boasted that his suits were custom made by his own tailor. SO THE FLEECE HE WORE WAS NO ORDINARY FLEECE, THE FLEECE THAT HE WORE WAS SPECIAL FLEECE, IT WAS SPECIAL ALRIGHT. IT WAS MINE!
With a soft chiming I was pulled back from my meditation to the reality of the moment, The spin cycle had ended, my slacks came out fine, so I saved a few dollars and learned a valuable lesson from my past that I could share.
Thank God some of us got away from Armstrongism with just a close shave, others did not, many still have not. I reach out to those sheep still being fleeced. Stay Alert, hear, and know the voice of the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Knowing The True Doctrine of Christ is the ONLY way to know whether you are following the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, or just another Ravenous Wolf in Sheep's Clothing,
The Pin Striped Kind.
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