I have been inspired to write this story to expose the state of The Church. It is told from the perspective of Jesus the Groom, lamenting the rotten behavior of His beloved Bride. Listen…
“When I met my Bride for the first time, she was a woman of godly character. Her name was Deborah like that strong woman-judge in the Bible, loving God, and full of faith. She was wearing a beautiful, spotless white dress. I loved her deeply and she too, had eyes only for me. So, a wedding plan was prepared. But then my Father called me to the other side of the world to expand our Family Company and at the same time, I would build a mansion there for my Bride and me.
Before I left, I moved her out of her old neighborhood and gave her my own house, freshly painted and decorated. I promised her I would always be faithful to her, and she did the same. Though the separation and the waiting would be hard, we believed that we would meet again and seal our love with a wedding to remember.
Soon after I departed, she was faithful and dedicated. She was reading all the love letters I sent her and telling everyone about me. Though many persecuted her because of it, she persevered and stuck with me anyway. Some were even telling her to forget about me because it’s been a while, and I still have not come back for her. However, she would not listen to them and suffered for me. Hardships and distance could not break her. She had a heart for the less privileged and would often go out and bring home the hopeless, the sick, and the weary. She loved them, fed them, and gave them hope.
Unfortunately, little by little she started changing her ways. Word came to me that my love letters were piling up on the counter, taking up space and collecting dust since she rarely reads them. She asked her friends to call her Debbie because it sounded cooler. Then to appear more friendly, intimate, and inclusive, she went by “Bee”. Right after that, she started selling herself short. There was no more power, no beauty, or strength left in her. She would call me, most of the time when she needed something from me or to cover up her disinterest in me. She and my house were no longer the same.
The front of the house looks clean but once you come in and pass the apparent tidiness of the living room, it is a mess. It smells weird in there too, according to my friends’ reports. She and her guests do not care to clean up after themselves. The tablecloth on the kitchen table is covered with stains and dirty dishes.
There are no longer healthy meals served at my table. All they consume are easy, frozen “meals”, to be quickly reheated. It is dead food that cannot give life. Sadly, no one has time for a wholesome and nutritious meal anymore. They think it takes too long and therefore is not a crowd-pleaser. To complement their empty diet, the shelves in the pantry overflow with candies, cookies, and all kinds of junk food. Those are the favorites of the household. They make residents and visitors alike feel good, however, it doesn’t bring growth to the Body.
The Bedrooms are defiled and nasty. Bee sleeps around with anyone, guys, sometimes kids, and even women like her. She is behaving worse than a prostitute. When a faithful resident tells her the truth, she is offended and threatens to evict him; so, he gets scared and stays silent. At certain times of the week, she gets on top of the staircase to sing “songs of praise”. Without a doubt, she is excellent at putting on a show.
The fog machine and the bright lights make her look like a star. After her heartless performances, her housemates clap for her and praise her, saying she sounds just like Queen B. No wonder she dresses like her idol too, with her new skimpy outfits, leaving little to the imagination. If some of the guys look too hard, she pretends to be upset and tells them to show some self-control. But later on, she ends up in their arms. Oh! Deceitful Bee!
The bathrooms, though, are still in good condition as only a few of the residents use them to wash themselves and remain clean. Bee, on her side, frequently drenches herself with expensive perfumes and deodorants. Doing so, she hopes to give an impression of cleanliness and freshness but it’s only a facade. The mirrors are foggy; no wonder she cannot see what she looks like, otherwise she would have changed already. In the laundry room, nothing has been washed there for eons. No one gets in there anymore as the mountain of soiled clothing blocks the entrance, thus hiding the impurity behind closed doors. They say: “We will not air our dirty laundry in public”, but they don’t air it at all. So, it stays there untouched, decaying.
I also heard that she tattooed my name on her arm as an expression of her love for me, even though she knows I hate that. Just to show you, she doesn’t care about what I think. You would not believe how poorly she speaks about me in private and even uses my name to swear. What kind of love is this? I don’t recognize my Bride anymore. I want Deborah back, not Bee, the easy-going and water-downed version of her. Though she’s been unfaithful to me, I still love her and will marry her. My heart breaks, but I do have a plan to bring her back to her senses. She is obviously not herself. She has lost her mind and rolls in the mud, eating pig slop.
To correct all this, I will send Law Enforcement to remove anyone who cannot abide by the house rules. A Clean-up Team will purge My house of all the gunk left behind by the deceivers and the filthy. Then the Interior Designers will remodel the whole place and make it better than ever.
Concerning Bee, my faithful friends will take her to that “Great Physician” I know very well. He will medicate her to get rid of all the diseases she had caught in her period of impurity. I will make sure that she also receives intensive mental care from a “Wonderful Counselor” to heal her mind and restore her soul.
Then my friends will take her to the Spa for a whole day. There, she will get a strong detox session to purify her. Afterwards, she will take some products home, to maintain her cleanliness. And finally, she will remember my great love for her as she reads my letters again. I know then that she will repent for all the wrong she has done to me, and I will forgive her. My Deborah will emerge again, clean and ready for me, in her spotless white dress. As I promised, I will come and take her home for the greatest wedding ever. I am a Man of my Word, “the Faithful One and lo I am coming soon.”
“‘Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.’
Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie.
‘I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.’” Revelation 22:12-16 NLT
By Nissi, 1-15-25
*Interesting fact
When I was done writing this post, I wondered about the meaning of the name Deborah. So, I looked it up and what I found left me amazed. In the Hebrew language, Deborah is דבורה (D’vorah), which means” bee” just like the nickname I gave her in the story, without knowing. But God knew…
Remember, God is Love, but He is also Holy and Just. Therefore, He will judge all unrepentant sinners. Turn away from sin and come to Him.
