The rich man and the beggar

Somewhere in a far away country, a long, long time ago;
There lived a certain man, he was scandalously rich -
Whose money was his God; oh, he loved to see it grow!

He feasted all day long; at night he dined on exquisite foods.
His clothing was of the finest, purple linen -
And his barns were filled to the brim with luxurious goods.

There also was a certain beggar; called Lazarus by name.
He lived on the street, at the rich man's front door -
Covered in unsightly sores; and both his legs were lame.

Lazarus lived a miserable life; slowly starving, and all alone.
The years went by, and it came to pass one day -
That the good Lord in His mercy called poor Lazarus home.

His soul was carried by the holy angels into paradise;
And there, in Abraham's bosom, he found eternal bliss.
Soon after the rich man also died, but something was amiss…

His soul was in such terrible agony, he hadn't fared so well;
Instead of being comforted in God's paradise -
Mr rich man was being tormented in the fiery flames of hell!

"Father Abraham, have mercy on me!"; he pitifully cried.
"Please send Lazarus over here, to cool my tongue -
These flames are hot, and I am toast; I'm very nearly fried!"

"Son", answered Abraham, "it's quite impossible, you see;
Safety first, that's why God fixed this dreadful abyss -
So no one could ever cross over from your side to me."

"Besides that, in your lifetime, you received nothing but good;
While poor Lazarus suffered, he died from starvation -
And you didn't lift a finger to help, even though you could."

"Father Abraham", cried the rich man, "I pray thee to be so kind
To send Lazarus on a mission trip to my father's house -
For I have five brothers; hard-hearted individuals, he will find."

"Maybe, if a spirit appears to them, and testifies of my lot;
They just might have a genuine change of heart -
Maybe, just maybe, they might repent, and turn back to God."

"Son", replied Father Abraham, "your brothers are too far gone…
If they refuse to hear the law of Moses, and the prophets -
Then a miracle won't persuade them; there's nothing to be done."

The moral of the story: While we're still here and have breath,
Now is the time to believe in Jesus, and to do good -
Because folks, there's no second chance to repent after death!