My Quilt

by Kathy Johnson

“As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls.

“Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles. An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life.

“But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares were. They were filled with giant holes. Each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult…the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all.

“I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened.

“My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.

“Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed…held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth!!

“The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries…So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me and nodded for ME to rise.

“My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn’t had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life…and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took from me my world…as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit…only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully…each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.

“And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was.

“I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. And awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes.

“Then, I looked up the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes…creating an image…the face of Christ.

“Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, “Every time you gave over your life to Me…it became My life…My hardships…and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside…and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you.”

May all ‘OUR QUILTS’ be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.”

-end quote

We are entering the days where there is a lot of talk about ‘peace on earth and good will toward men.’ Unfortunately, what is experienced is quite often the opposite of what people desire. Instead of good will, anger is displayed. Impatience toward a long line — worries about money (among other things) rob us of our peace. If you talk to a clerk serving the public in the month of December, how often are they thrilled with all the pleasant customers they wait upon?

FROM: THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN

…I miss my Saviour’s smile,

When e’er I walk the world’s ways;

Thy laughter drowns the Spirit’s voice,

And chokes the springs of praise.

When e’er I turn aside

To join thee for an hour,

The face of Christ grows blurred and dim

And prayer has lost its power!

-Osterhus Publishing House (Abridged)1979 Calender

“He who walks purely walks securely,

but he who walks in crooked ways will be found out.”

Proverbs 10:9 Jewish Bible

There is very little talk in today’s world about walking in ‘purity.’ I was thinking about that this week after I read Proverbs 10:9 from the Complete Jewish Bible by David Sterns. I do not believe that we can enjoy peace without purity. We cannot experience purity without Christ. Therefore, how appropriate that Christmas is centered in God coming to earth as man and living a holy pure life to show us how it’s done. His death and resurrection gives us the ability to come to Him for forgiveness and cleansing and strength to walk a pure and holy life.

Finding Treasure

by Marvine Scott

Proverbs 10 verse 9

is an awesome verse to find.

It offers us security

in a world that’s lost it’s mind.

You will find God’s way is best.

It survived the ancient test.

He’s all powerful you see.

Follow Him and you’ll be free.

His word says walk in purity

And you’ll find security.

In a world that’s very blind

Here’s a treasure verse to find.

How difficult it is to learn how to walk in purity. I like this quote from an unknown author: “A prince who was traveling in the care of his tutor, asked how he ought to act under such and such circumstances. ‘Always remember that thou art a king’s son.’ said the tutor.” If we can remember we are children of a King, we can follow in the footsteps of Christ and truly walk in purity.

You remember the song, “Slow down. You’re moving too fast. Got to make the moment last!” I think that describes the American way of life. There is so much crowded into our lives and we truly feel that it is all vital! We have to do it all and we push ourselves to accomplish continually the impossible! God has some interesting things to say about this subject on which we are so stuck! Do you hear God saying, “Hurry up! You’re not doing things fast enough! It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you do something.”? No. He doesn’t. He says, “Slow down. Wait on Me!” We can address God’s view on laziness in a different article. Let’s look at a couple of verses.

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” Psalms 37:7

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

Someone wrote a thought-provoking imaginary article on how Satan defeats the Christian.

SATAN DEFEATS THE CHRISTIAN

The huge crowd hushed as he stepped up to speak, “We can’t keep the Christians from going to church. We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can’t even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else.” He paused. Everyone listened.

“We can keep them from forming an intimate abiding experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time, so they can’t gain that experience in Jesus Christ. This is what I want you to do. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining a vital connection through their day!”

“How shall we do this?” shouted his angels.

“Simple. Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent un-numbered schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered. “Tempt them to spend and spend, then, borrow and borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and the husbands to work 6 or 7 days a week 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. Tell them they are doing it FOR their children. Hah, that one works well. As their family fragments, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work.

“Over stimulate their minds so they cannot hear THE still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, the VCR, and their Cd’s going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.

“Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering, free products, services, and false hopes. Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week.

“Don’t let them go out in nature. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion. Don’t let them encourage or uplift each other. Keep those who are the gifted encouragers especially busy and worn out. And above all when they get together, keep them from praying for one another.”

author unknown

Do we let this happen? Do we get too busy to hear God speak?

God’s Loving Lessons

By Marvine Scott

We’ve had a special lesson sent to us just recently.
It’s sent to us by God in His great love for us, you see.
The lesson’s in the Word of God in Psalms 37:8.
The “Key Word” in this message is very simply, “Wait!”

We’re always in a hurry for our schedule we must set.
Our planning’s most important — each appointment must be met.
No time for interruptions, nor for an urgent call.
No time to stop and praise the Lord ‘cause our schedule’s got it all!

We must stop! Take time to listen to what our Savior has to say.
Do we meditate on the Word of God? Do we worship when we pray?
If our schedule were set up by God, I wonder if we’d find
We’d still be just too busy to stop and help by being kind.

But the key word is to rest in Him, wait patiently for Him.
We’ll never get our answers if we sway with every whim.
“Fret not for evildoers” — fret not o’er anything!
Just rest and trust in Jesus — leave everything to Him.

The Lord says, “Put your trust in Me and I’ll take care of you.
Delight yourself in me and My desires will be yours too.
Commit your problems to Me, your Savior, Lord and King.
I’ll take care of all your needs — I’ll take care of everything!

“My love I give you always — I’ll always be with thee.
Eternal life is yours, my child, since you gave your heart to Me.
My Spirit I give to you and He lives and dwells within.
My Peace, MY Joy, My Strength is yours and I will call you friend.”

“..the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…” Isaiah 61:3

What is a spirit of heaviness? This would be a heavy feeling in your chest caused by depression, grieving, feeling sick, unhappiness, etc. Even though there were a lot of delighted people Nov. 4^th there were those who were disappointed and were left with a ’spirit of heaviness.’ No matter what the problem causing the heavy feeling, God has a marvelous answer: “Put on the garment of praise.”

A number of years ago I did a little study on praise. We all know what it is to be filled with joyful praise when we witness a miracle. Perhaps a long-awaited baby arrives to bless a delighted set of parents. Or, grandpa gets well and is feeling good after a long illness. Maybe it is a new job that will better meet all the needs of the home. It could be getting an “A” on your final grade in school. Whatever it is, your heart bursts with joyful praise as you dance in a circle of excitement. Or perhaps, if you have a more quiet nature, your face radiates the quiet joy you feel. Spontaneous praise delights the heart of God.

What about the ‘Sacrifice of Praise’? What is that? Hebrews 13:15 “…offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” Basically this is thanking and praising God during the times when everything is going wrong.

God was teaching us this truth years ago when our son was 1 ½ years old, he was sick and on medicine. I checked his fever and it wasn’t too bad. One half hour later he went into convulsions from a high fever. We took him across town to the hospital in Mpls which took 20 minutes. While in the car, we sang praises to God as I tenderly held my baby. It was the hardest thing Ken and I ever did but God so rewarded us for the sacrifice of praise that there was no brain damage and it never happened again. It is not easy but with the choosing to praise God even if there are tears, He gives us peace.

I love the book, “Jesus Freaks, dc Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs.” In it there is a very interesting account of a true story that took place in Romania in the 1940’s.

Jubilant Dance for Jesus

“Christianity has become dramatic with us,” wrote Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, a leader of the underground church in Communist Romania. “When Christians in free countries win a soul for Christ, the new believer may become a member of a quietly living church. But when those in captive nations win someone, we know that he may have to go to prison and that his children may become orphans. The joy of having brought someone to Christ is always mixed with this feeling that there is a price that must be paid.

“When I was still living behind the Iron Curtain, I had met a Russian captain. He loved God, he longed after God, but he had never seen a Bible. He had never attended religious services. He had no religious education, but he loved God without the slightest knowledge of Him.

“I read to him the Sermon on the Mount and the parables of Jesus. After hearing them, he danced around the room in rapturous joy, proclaiming, ‘What a wonderful beauty! How could I live without knowing this Christ?’ It was the first time that I saw someone jubilating in Christ.

“Then I made a mistake. I read to him the passion and crucifixion of Christ, without having prepared him for this. He had not expected it. When he heard how Christ was beaten, how He was crucified, and that in the end He died, he fell in an armchair and began to weep bitterly. He had believed in a Savior and now his Savior was dead!

“I looked at him and was ashamed that I had called myself a Christian and a pastor, a teacher of others. I had never shared the sufferings of Christ as this Russian officer now shared them. Looking at him was, for me, like seeing Mary Magdalene weeping at the foot of the cross or at the empty tomb.

“Then I read to him the story of the resurrection. When he heard this wonderful news, that the Savior arose from the tomb, he slapped his knees, and shouted for joy! ‘He is alive! He is alive!” Again he danced around the room, overwhelmed with happiness!

“I said to him, ‘Let us pray!’

“He fell on his knees together with me. He did not know our holy phrases. His words of prayer were, “O God, what a fine chap You are! If I were You and You were me, I would never have forgiven You Your sins. But You are really a very nice chap! I love You with all my heart.’

“I think that all the angels in heaven stopped what they were doing to listen to this sublime prayer from this Russian officer. When this man received Christ, he knew he would immediately lose his position as an officer, that prison and perhaps death in jail would almost surely follow. He gladly paid the price. He was ready to lose everything.”

-Jesus Freaks (Albury Pub, Tulsa, OK c1999) p.202-203

Let’s choose to praise God for all that is in our life. I love this poem.

Thank God for dirty dishes,

They have a tale to tell;

While others may go hungry

We’ve eaten very well.

With home, health and happiness

I shouldn’t want to fuss,

By the stack of evidence

God’s been very good to us!

-Uncle Ben’s Quotebook, (Harvest Pub c.1976) p.279