Well, It’s another Sunday morning. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place, the Most High, who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. Because He holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because He knows my name. When He calls to me, I will answer Him; I will be with Him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91:1-16 (ESV)
It’s that time of year to get out the blankets and snuggle to stay warm. I love the warmth of an old quilt better then any other cover ever made. There’s something about a soft warm quilt that makes me think of the love that is sewn into every stitch. When you pull a quilt up around you and are all tucked into it, it feels like a hug from the person that created it. If you are not someone that sews or know someone that does you probably look at a quilt as just another blanket, something to cover with on a cold evening. I tell you there is so much more to a hand made quilt.
My mother was a quilter, or more correctly an artist that works with cloth instead of paint, stone or wood. I know the love that was poured into each quilt she ever made. See, every quilt that is made is different from all the others. Some might be close to the same, but still the stitching or the pattern or the fabric is different. I have several quilts and none are the same, thats the way I like it. I wouldn’t want them all the same, it would be boring to me.
God made each one of us different from the other. Each one with their own talents, their own individualities and abilities and their own little quirks. That’s the way God likes it, and who are we to question his design. In Jeremiah 1:5 (ESV) the word is said like this, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Each person is given something that shows who God is: Everyone gets a piece of God’s fabric, everyone benefits. God decides who gets what, and when. Gods quilts, that’s what we are, each one just a little different from the other.
God gave us these talents to use, He gave them to us to better His kingdom. That’s why we are created differently from anyone else, to please God in our works. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 (ESV) says it like this, “But just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”
So, even though all our stitches are not perfect or maybe our patterns and designs are different from everyone else, that is how God wanted us. We are all like hand made quilts, different from one another. But, like each quilt made has its purpose of warmth and security, our purpose is to do as God has designed us to do and spread his good words. Ephesians 5: 8-10 (ESV) tells us this: “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. That’s what God wants, that’s what we should do. Do this willingly, give it all to the LORD leave nothing on your plate.” Show others Gods love, and all the time you are doing this know God truly loves each and every one of you and so do I.
