Lessons From “The QuiltMaker’s Gift”

Lessons From “The QuiltMaker’s Gift”

We have in our collection at home a storybook called The QuiltMaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau and Gail de Marcken. (Orchard Books; New York, NY; © 2000).

The story begins by introducing the QuiltMaker, a mysterious old woman who lives in a cabin in the mountains. She is a quilter of consummate talent and spends all of her days making quilts and then at night she goes down into the villages and gives her quilts to the poor and to the needy. The act of giving brings her much joy.

Another character is introduced after the QuiltMaker – a greedy King. The King was one who was never happy, never smiled and never thought of anyone but himself. He liked nothing better than to receive presents – so he commanded each person in the Kingdom to give him a gift twice a year. In this way, he collected many wonderful and beautiful things – but they never could satisfy him. One day he found out about the QuiltMaker and realized that she had never given him a gift. Therefore, he went to her and demanded she give him a quilt. She refused – saying that she only gave them to those who were in need and that if the King would give away all of the presents he had received, when they were all gone, she would make him a quilt. She told him that every time he would give away a gift that she would add a new piece to his quilt.

After several more attempts to force her to give him a quilt, the King finally relented and promised to give away his many presents. He went home began to give away his many presents. With each gift he gave he began to feel happy – the more he gave, the happier he became. He decided to give away everything that he owned not just to those in his Kingdom but he went into the entire world giving away all his precious gifts. Each time he gave one away a messenger would tell the QuiltMaker and she would add a new piece to his quilt.

After many  years of gift giving, the King had become a wondrous and joyful man to be around. He loved nothing more than to give all his precious time and gifts to those in need. And when the time came that he gave away his last present, the QuiltMaker finished his quilt which was a masterpiece – so beautiful that birds would sing when they saw it and butterflies circled around it. When she was finished with the quilt, the QuiltMaker went in search of the King. When she found him, his clothes were torn and soiled and he had given away all that he had.  Then because he had made himself poor and now was in need – she gave him the quilt that she had made. The King replied that he was not poor, that in fact, he was the riches man he knew because of all the joy he had given and received in the giving away of his gifts.

Several wonderful parallels can be drawn from this delightful tale about the joy of giving:

The QuiltMaker’s labor of love reflects the blessings that come from above. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17)

The initial attitude of the King reminds us of the Rich Fool. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ‘ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

The King’s unhappiness despite his over-abundance of material possessions, reflects the life of King Solomon and his discovery that there is “no profit under the sun.”(Ecclesiastes 2:11). Like the King in “The QuiltMaker’s Gift” Solomon had everything he wanted or desired, but in the end he found no happiness in things material. Solomon found happiness in serving God (Ecclesiastes 12:13). The QuiltMaker’s King found happiness in giving.

Like the Rich Young Ruler of Matthew 19:16-22, this ruler was ruled by his possessions. Both asked for something they greatly desired. The Rich Young Ruler asked for eternal life and the QuiltMaker’s King asked for a beautiful quilt. Both were told to give away their possessions. The Rich Young Ruler went away sorrowful, but the QuiltMaker’s King went away and did as he was told. The Rich Young Ruler’s soul remained bound to his possessions and he felt extreme sorrow at the thought of giving away his precious things, but the QuiltMaker’s King found true joy and happiness through his giving and in the end he received the treasure he desired most.

In reading the story we see demonstrated once again that materialism cannot satisfy the soul. We see illustrated the Truth that Jesus spoke when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  (Acts 20:35).

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

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Don’t Let the Sun Go Down

Don’t Let the Sun Go Down

Everyone’s concept of the perfect day is different. My perfect day would likely involve a whole lot of fish, hiking, sports, good food, a campfire, and board games. The surroundings would be a few select friends, the ocean, and the mountains. It would be warm enough not to need a sweater, but cool enough to be completely comfortable! That is the kind of day which should not end. Let the sun just sit on the horizon and never go down. The truth of the matter is the sun does go down each day. It will continue doing so until God puts an end to it by replacing it with something better.

Elton John sings a song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”. It is a song about being rejected, having a relationship end. The proper understanding of the phrase “Don’t let the sun go down” is presented. It is a time in which there is an ending of an emotion, activity, relationship, process, etc. The sun must go down on certain things and life is one of them (James 4:14). However, such is not the case with all things. According to Isaiah 40:8, “The word of our God stands forever”. There are certain things which are ordained to end and others which are not; yet these do not cover all possible options. Man has control over certain aspects of his life and whether or not the sun goes down on them. Below six such items are mentioned.

Don’t let the sun go down on your growth
Every person born is given life and time. The times vary, but they are indeed a possession of man. He determines what he will do with the time. To think someone would just sit and let the time pass without expanding their knowledge about their God and the world around them is unfathomable. However, many people come really close to doing so. They sit and practically vegetate waiting for the day of their death. The apostle Peter encouraged the Christians to “Grow in the grace and knowledge” of Christ (2 Peter 3:18), something through which he said “all things pertaining to life and godliness” were known (2 Peter 1:3). The answers to a great number of man’s “why’s” cannot be discovered except through growth. Truly knowing yourself cannot be achieved except through growth. Knowledge of one’s own life and surroundings will point the individual to grow in knowledge of God (Romans 1:18-20). To refuse to grow is to go against one’s own conscience thereby darkening the heart. Most importantly, the knowledge of Christ allows us to grow in respect to our salvation (I Peter 2:2) and it enables to mature and be like Christ (Ephesians 4:15). Such a process does not come overnight, not is it achieved by doing nothing. Growth is a never ending action which the sun should never be allowed to go down upon.

Don’t let the sun go down on your love
With growth, comes love (2 Peter 1:5-7). Love can be manifested properly through devotion for God, others, and self. How can man not love God? He has so generously provided all that we have. He allows us the exhilaration of feeling sand between our toes and to hear the first cry of our newborn children. For those who desire to be his, he provides all that is needed (Matthew 6:33). He even sent his son to earth so all who choose to do so can have eternal life (John 3:16). Love for God should consume man (Matthew 22:37). By the example of Christ’s life, He demonstrated his love for others. It is a love which man is commanded to have (Ephesians 5:25, Matthew 5:44). The characteristic love of a Christian’s life (Galatians 5:22-23) is what enables others to see their love for God (I John 5:2). It allows mankind to know whether or not a person is indeed a Christian (John 13:35). If the sun goes down on the love in a Christian’s life, he is no longer a faithful Christian. A man who loves himself, who cares about his own salvation, cannot put aside love in his life. Love is the essence of being like Christ for God is love (I John 4:8).

Don’t let the sun go down on your service
The saying goes, “It is better to give than to receive”. This describes service. Service blesses the recipient and lifts the server’s heart if done in truth. Man was created to glorify God with good works (Ephesians 2:10, Matthew 5:16). Such deeds are service to the Father in heaven. When we do well, we please Him and fulfill our purpose (Genesis 4:7). True satisfaction can result from serving God through serving others. The knowledge someone is better off or happier through your hand is an intangible gift enabled by God. However, there is a great temptation and encouragement from the world to focus on self rather than others. There are so many different ways we can serve ourselves. Helping others logically seems to take time away from pleasing oneself. Therefore, man is prone to stray from serving others. Yet, accomplished by the logic of man, a life focused on self only result in tragedy not satisfaction. The issue of serving self is a drug which we can never get enough. Only serving self does not please God, it does not help others, and it does not prepare us for eternal blessing (Galatians 6:9). Stay strong and do not let the sun go down on your service.

Don’t let the sun go down on your sobriety
The Christian must always be alert, able to make clear decisions with wisdom (2 Timothy 4:5). When a man fails to be accurately aware of himself, he puts himself in danger (2 Corinthians 13:5). A warrior evaluates his armor and skills because he knows his life is on the line (I Peter 5:8). He looks for weak spots, vulnerabilities. He does not go into battle distracted, but with a clear mind. The Christian is always on the battle ground. The land mines of temptation are set everywhere. Snares and pitfalls are at every turn. There are no safe houses. The church has been infiltrated in many locations and in many ways. Study (2 Timothy 2:15), diligence (2 Peter 3:14), and self control (I Corinthians 9:25) are a necessity. God provides an escape for the traps that arise (I Corinthians 10:13), but they are only recognizable to those who endure in sobriety and do not let it end.

Don’t let the sun go down on your anger
Ephesians 4:26 is a verse which is interpreted in opposition to its text by many individuals. Specifically, the verse tells the Christian to be angry. It then tells the Christian to not let the sun go down on his anger. As in this entire discussion about not letting the sun go down on anything, we are talking about not letting it end. The text of the Ephesians 4 is talking about the Christian walk and staying away from sin. Sin is to be hated. As God, man is to be angry with sin. However, man is not to sin. Sinful anger is destructive (Exodus 5-14), jealous (Genesis 4:8), selfish (Jonah 4:9-11), unkind (I Kings 19:2), and ugly (Acts 7:54-60). One should be angry about sin because it destroys lives. It destroys souls. It keeps man from his eternal home and causes him to forsake the loving God who created him. The sun should never set upon man’s anger toward sin.

Don’t let the sun go down on your hope
Peter and Paul encouraged the Christians to keep hope in the return of Christ in I Peter 1:13 and Titus 2:11-15. If we did not have hope in the return of Christ, what would we have? What would a world without hope look like (I Thessalonians 4:13)? Sorrow, grief, and pain would abound. If it weren’t for the hope in Christ, the fall into pure evil would be drastically accelerated. Hope is what caused Paul to stand before governors and kings. Hope is what brought James to be put to death by the sword at Herod’s command. Hope is what enabled Christian after Christian to look to God as they fell at the hands of Roman persecution. Man is saved by hope (Romans 8:24). He looks to the examples of God’s gracious and faithful hand upon past generations to validate his hope (Romans 15:4). It is through the New Testament Gospel of Christ the world has hope of heaven and seeing the crown of his brothers and sisters standing with him (I Thessalonians 2:19). A man who trusts in God has the hope of resurrection (I Corinthians 15) and eternal life (Titus 1:2, 3:7). Such a hope must not end (Hebrews 6:11).

The sun must not go down on growth, love, service, sobriety, anger, and hope. Man has a duty to engage this choice. These are essential to the heart of Christianity. Christ stated, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father, but through me.” Where there is light, the Son has not gone away. He is coming back to take his sheep home. All the characteristics of those striving to be like Christ are alive and well with him. It is there we shall walk in the light for eternity.

Revelation 21:23 – And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

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Tomorrow

“Tomorrow” I have heard that word many times in my life so that I can reasonably suggest that it is used to justify delays in action far too often. One of the great factors that contribute to the failure of many people in obedience to the gospel is; “wait till tomorrow” but tomorrow never comes with their good decision to become a Christian.

Indeed, procrastination is a serious problem to many people who intend to get their life right with God but just can’t (i.e. will not) make the commitment or sit a time for carrying through with their plans. It seems that many people just do not set down and count the cost as we find in Luke (cf. Luke 14:28, For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

The Lord and the writers of the New Testament tell us to obey the Lord; tell us to come to Him and be saved, etc. Note the following instruction from God about decision making and the urgency of the decision:

Matt. 11:28 – Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (KJV)

Matt. 16:24 – Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (KJV)

Matt. 19:21-23 – 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. 23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Acts 2:37-41 – 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

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Rearing Children

Should We Have and Rear More Children?

Since the creation of man, children have been part of God’s plan. God’s first command to Adam and Eve concerned procreation. He said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:28). After the flood, God told Noah and his sons, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. . . . And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein” (Gen. 9:1, 7). Having children is part of the natural order of things, and today, most consider procreation to be a God-given right.

There is, however, a difference between having children and rearing children. Just about anyone who is of age is capable of having children. The act of procreation itself is biological, and it requires very little knowledge and little or no commitment. This does not mean, however, that those capable of procreation are capable of rearing children. Rearing children requires extensive knowledge and a long term commitment. Many, including the married, simply do not take rearing children into consideration when they procreate, and this becomes a problem.

It is the rearing of children that is of utmost importance to the Lord. Malachi explains the purpose of marriage in Malachi 2:15; “And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.” God’s end design for marriage is that it produces godly seed. This involves many things: procreation, rearing, faithfulness, unselfish love, lifetime commitment, loving companionship, and innumerable other things. God doesn’t just want procreation from marriage; He doesn’t even want functioning adulthood from marriage; His end design for marriage is to have fully functioning adults who are faithful to Him. This is what the words “godly seed” entail.

This purpose weighs upon our question under consideration: Should we have and rear more children? The answer is that a couple should have and rear as many children as they can produce in harmony with God’s purposes, and that is for each individual couple to decide. Obviously, couples who are infertile are not expected to do what they cannot do. However, they may adopt, if that is something that they have the resources to accomplish. If a couple can produce, but not rear a child (for financial or other reasons), then, given the purpose of marriage, they should wait until they can be faithfully responsible in fulfilling that purpose. Like the infertile couple, they are not expected to do what they cannot accomplish.

Some in the brotherhood have suggested that couples simply produce more children indiscriminately with the idea in mind that increasing our numbers will populate the church of the future. I do not believe that this is wise advice. I have heard some preachers counsel the young married to get busy having children as soon as possible, to have as many as possible, and not to worry about the consequences. I know of at least one marriage where taking this advice ended up very badly. In years past, this counsel may have been more advisable given social conditions that were more suitable toward the maintenance of families. In today’s world, however, social conditions tend toward the dissolution of the family. Christian parents would be wise to only take upon themselves as much responsibility as they are able to bear in producing and rearing children.

Another point to take into consideration in this discussion is that under the Old Covenant, procreation was mandatory. Exodus 21:10 makes clear that a husband was not to deny the wife the “duty of marriage.” Women depended upon having children in order to sustain them in old age. Children were literally the inheritance of their old age. This is the meaning of Psalm 127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” The commands to Adam, Eve, Noah, and his sons are also important. God expected these commands to be followed; in return, God said that He would “have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you” (Leviticus 26:9).

Today, however, the establishment of God’s covenant does not depend upon physical procreation, and the New Covenant does not enjoin upon any man the obligation to marry and procreate. In fact, Paul’s inspired counsel in 1 Corinthians 7 advised just the opposite, namely, that there are some situations in which it is best not to marry at all. Obviously, such situations would also imply that it is best not to procreate. Even Jesus pointed out that some would become eunuchs “for the kingdom of heaven’s sake,” and then he said, “He that is able to receive it, let him receive it” (Matt. 19:12); Jesus’ point was that some may indeed choose to be single for the sake of God’s kingdom; that choice is not inherently contradictory to God’s New Covenant with mankind through Christ, and if there is no obligation to marry, there is no obligation to procreate.

My wife and I have produced four children, and each one of them is a blessing; we wouldn’t trade them for the world. Two of these are Christians; two are too young to make that choice right now. We chose to wait five years into our marriage to have our first child because we were young, inexperienced, poor, and not ready. At the right time we made our choices, and I know they were good choices. Having a large family is not easy, but challenging. We do not have a lot of time for ourselves. The weight of responsibility is more heavily felt. Each day brings the challenge anew, and I know that the choices we made would not necessarily be the right choices for couples in other circumstances. Having and rearing more children should not be a hasty decision, but one that is considered carefully and prayerfully, and in the end, it is the couple’s choice. Preachers and teachers who push children upon unready couples would do well to memorize and observe 1 Thessalonians 4:11a and the last eight words of 1 Peter 4:15.

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Safe Sex

For several years now there have been various appeals made (through public service
announcements and other venues) to those who are sexually active to practice safe sex.  The main purpose of these appeals to “use protection” is to prevent pregnancy and to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STD).  These are definitely legitimate and sobering concerns; however the best appeal for safe sex is usually taken the least serious.  “Abstinence” is the safest way to prevent pregnancy and to ensure that sexually transmitted diseases are not contracted.  That’s a look at things from a physical perspective.  Now let us consider this from a spiritual one.  In an age in which premarital sex, extramarital sex, experimental sex (etc.) is so prevalent and openly practiced, it is important for us to know what God says on the subject.

When God created the institution of marriage (Gen. 2:18-25), the sexual relation was a built-in feature. While the expression, “the two shall become one flesh” (Mk. 10:7-8) may be understood in reference to the marital union itself, it is clearly an expression
that references the most physically intimate relationship that a husband and wife can have. However, man is often dissatisfied with what God has provided for him, and, as a result, he abuses and perverts what was once wholesome and pure.

According to Hebrews 13:4, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” “Adultery” is sexual relations between a married person and someone other than their spouse.  “Fornication” is any kind of
unlawful sexual relations.  Being that the only God-approved marriage is that between an eligible man and an eligible woman (Gen. 2:24; 1 Cor. 7:1-2), it is apparent that any sexual activity outside of that union is sin; whether it be man with man or woman with
woman (Rom. 1:26-27; cf. Lev. 18:22), or a single man with a single woman, or adultery, prostitution (1 Cor. 6:18), incest (cf. Lev. 18:6-16;   1 Cor. 5:1), bestiality (Lev. 18:23), etc.  According to 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5, Rev. 21:8 and 22:14-15 those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Friends, the only “safe sex” (spiritually speaking) is that which is between husband and wife.  All else falls into judgment.  Therefore, “flee sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18).

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