Good deeds in The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

For the Christian, good deeds aren’t a checklist, part of program, or an app. They are a way of life. We are to be like Jesus as we walk with Him in this world. It’s not a one and done deal. He never said, “I did my good deed for the day.” 

 

In my allegory, The Inheritance, the main character, Jejune, starts the story living in the Village of Lofty Thought. His name means, immature, lacking knowledge or experience. In Lofty Thought, people are rewarded for coming up with new theories about how people get to the Eternal City as each generation declares a New Age of Enlightenment. Many don’t believe in the All Knowing One. At their coming of age, young people deliver the first of their new theories, and are rewarded with an embroidered ring to decorate their sleeves. The more new ideas, the more rings, the more honor. It’s a reward and recognition of what they deem to be good works. As the story opens, Jejune is about to celebrate his coming of age.

 

Good works and reward

In yesterday’s post, role of good deeds in the Christian life, covered why we do good works. The intent and motives behind what we do makes a difference. It's why we do them. It’s not supposed to be for rewards in this world. In Mathew 6:1, Jesus says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

In The Inheritance, Jejune, questions the Illuminati, the authoritative lofty thinkers, who dress in their robes decorated with rings up to their elbows. He asks how conflicting theories can all be right. It creates an issue, and he is labeled a troublemaker. 

He tires of hearing about theories from people who haven’t even gone on a quest to learn the truth. He talks to Wigglewot, and says, “Wig, my Coming of Age has arrived, but I feel ill prepared. I know it's time for a change. Life in Lofty Thought leaves me barren, like my ringless sleeves." He extended his arm, allowing his sleeve to snap in the breeze. "The time is ripe for me to become a Seeker."

 

Why I wrote The Inheritance

The reason I wrote The Inheritance, along with entertainment the factor, is as a tool to help others seek the truth. I did my best not to use religious language so non-believers will read it as well as believers. As they do, I pray it opens opportunities to talk about things that really matter. Things above. Our eternal destiny. It's a discussion starter.

Excerpt from The Inheritance

 This excerpt is taken from chapter 4: "The Day of Preparation."

* * *

He turned the first few pages of the journal searching for the place where he'd left off last night. "Here it is." His finger marked the spot.

"The ancient stoics taught that when you find the truth, it will set you free. Here within Lofty Thought many claim to have the truth, yet I am not released from my distress. I find it curious that people who believe differing ideas think all their beliefs together represent the truth." Jejune raised his eyebrows and looked at Wigglewot.

"My father felt the same way I do. Maybe that's why the Illuminati doesn't like me."

"You are surely your father's son. What else does it say?"

They spent the afternoon reading of travels to far off places. "The Way of Works could be a possibility." Jejune considered the prospect. "Father says here that the people in Goodeeds are pleasant. Listen to this."

"I could do well in Goodeeds. The people respect me. I served as a mediator, settling squabbles between neighbors and family members. They rewarded me with notches carved into a walking stick. They tell me if I carry this stick to the gates of the Eternal City, it will allow me to enter."

"Could that be the walking stick we saw upstairs?"

"It must be." Jejune glanced from the journal to Wigglewot. "But if they were going to the Eternal City, why didn't he take it with him?" He turned the leaf.

"Staid thinks the belief is absurd. At first, I disagreed, but I think she might be right. If the requirement is a notched walking stick, then only people from Goodeeds will gain access to the Eternal City. This cannot be logical. What about those who live in Lofty Thought and do not carry a walking stick?"

"Goodeeds sounds like a nice place." Jejune gazed into the distance and imagined life where people accepted him and even rewarded him.

"But he didn't choose to live there." Wigglewot stretched and turned onto his stomach. "And he didn't plan to return there with your mother."

Jejune sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "True, but I would enjoy the company of pleasant people."

 

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Photo license and attribution:

License: Creative Commons 3 - CC BY-SA 3.0

Attribution: Alpha Stock Images - http://alphastockimages.com/

 

Why is the mark of the beast on the head or hand?

 

I’m currently reading a book titled, The World Jesus Knew by Anne Punton. It offers a wealth of historical insights from matters of cleanliness, education, and details like why the mezuzah was placed on the doorpost. A mezuzah is a small piece of parchment held in a decorative container with specific verses from Deuteronomy inscribed on the parchment. This fulfilled the command to write the Word of God on the doorpost of the home. 

Jewish phylacteries

Jewish fathers also taught their sons how to wear phylacteries. In case phylactery isn’t a word you know, the general definition is that it is “any charm, spell or amulet worn as a preservative from danger or disease.” But for the Jews, it was and is a small leather box containing Hebrew texts. They are worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law and so they are also referred to as “prayer boxes.” They originated as a reminder to the people that they were to write God’s Word in their heart and hand. This is still practiced by observant Jews today.

 Mark of the beast

As I talked about these things with my husband, he asked, “Where will the mark of the beast be worn?” I had never made this connection. “On the hand or forehead!”

It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name (Rev. 13:16-17).

Even as I said it, I thought of the 144,000 Jewish people who come to Christ during the tribulation time (Rev. 7). They will understand the significance of the placement of the mark of the beast, and in Rev. 14, we see that they have the Father’s name written on their foreheads.

If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath (Rev. 14:9-10).

The mark of the beast will be on the head or hand because it mimics the command of God. It is a way to worship the beast and its image.

My spiritual journey

I wrote the Inheritance because of my own spiritual journey. I grew of in a religious home that practiced many traditions. I had a happy childhood and thought what I believed was the truth. When I had my children, I brought them up in the same tradition. But then, they came home with information that said that some things that were sins when I was growing up, were no longer sin. This put my faith into a tailspin. How can what is sin change? Was it the truth I was taught or something else? And so, in The Inheritance, the main character asks many of the same questions I asked.

 

The Inheritance excerpt

"I admit, I seek the truth," Jejune had conceded. "How can people reach the Eternal City if they don't know how to get there?" He let the three irate men intimidate him and quash his remaining questions. Now he couldn't help but wonder what Pundit Punctilious meant when he spoke of a royal line? Jejune buried this question with the others.

The ever-present hunger for something more lingered. I had hoped this would change today.

Clouds engulfed the cliffs and moved in to hang like a wispy ceiling above the crowd of spectators. Speaker after speaker lectured. The sun worked to burn through the clouds casting elongated intermittent shadows from the onlookers toward the Illuminati.

Jejune's ears itched as he listened to the various theories, some new and some old. How can pivotal points contradict each other and yet be embraced as truth? The Illuminati despised this line of thinking. They taught truth was relative and that no objective, rational basis could be found for moral decisions.

Water splashed in the nearby Fountain of Tradition where young children played without a care. Crystal liquid spilled from the upturned urn held by the faceless, hooded statue some called the Great Thinker, while a few said it represented the All Knowing One. Ancient scrolls taught that the founders built the fountain after escaping life in the Valley of Shadow. The flow of water represented new ideas that made Lofty Thought a village above the rest. Current theories bred controversy, whether or not an All Knowing One was a real entity or an imaginary concept put in place by the Great Thinker to help Lofty Thinkers find themselves.

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 About The Inheritance

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.

The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction). When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.