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."

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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."

 

When you read The Inheritance, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.

 

Photo license and attribution:

License: Creative Commons 3 - CC BY-SA 3.0

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

 

Role of good deeds in a Christian life

 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them(Eph. 2:8-10).

 

The world’s definition of a good deed is something good done, performed, or accomplished. That’s simple enough, except that it leads to another question. What is good?

 

Good deeds based on the Torah

In Judaism, the law of God is found in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures. These books of Moses, are known as the Torah. Within the Torah, Rabbis teach there are six hundred and thirteen commandments. Two hundred and forty-eight are positive, or things we should do,  and three hundred and sixty-five are negative, or the things we should not do. Either way, if you obey these commandments, by doing or not doing something, that would be considered a good deed. Of these commands, three are considered especially praiseworthy: prayer, fasting, and charity. If you think about it, Jesus taught about these three topics and challenged the religious leaders on how and why they obeyed. 

The Law given as a tutor

You see, the law was given as tutor. “Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Gal. 3:24). In today’s world, a tutor works with students to help them understand key concepts. When it comes to the Law, it works to help us realize we can never obey all the laws one hundred percent of the time. James 2:10, tells us that the one who “keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” What we learn from the law is that we can never be good enough in our own efforts to get into heaven. So what are the good deeds we are supposed to be doing and how do we get into heaven?

 

Jesus taught love

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:8-10).

There you have it. Living in the Spirit of love fulfills the Law. Jesus said, he fulfilled the law. When we become his child, we learn to walk in the good works he has prepared for us, because we love him. Our life is his. Look again at Eph. 2:8-10. “For by grace you have been saved….” It is grace, not good works! “Through faith. And this is not your own doing…” Nothing we “do” saves us. It is grace through faith. “It is the gift of God, not a result of works.” Our good works have nothing to do with it. But once we are saved, we become new people committed to walk in the good works God has prepared for us. And those good works are done out of love. It’s not for show, to become liked or noticed, and is not an app. It is for the glory of God.

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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, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.

 

Photo credits: flickr, flickr

 

What does good measure mean in the Bible?

 

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38).

 

Pressed down shaken together meaning

When Jesus spoke, he used terms his listeners would understand. Today, as we read the Word, we often perceive it through the lens of our current culture. The phrase, “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over,” is understandable enough for us to grasp but recently, I learned, specifically, what it meant in the times of Jesus and what his listeners would understand.

What is a good measure in the Bible?

When buying grain, in Bible times, men visited the marketplace to do the shopping. Merchants sat at their stall surrounded by heaps of barley and wheat. Barley was the less expensive of the two grains and more often the grain purchased by the poor. But all grains were crudely graded for quality. It was common practice for the buyer and seller to haggle over price and an expected part of the purchasing process. The merchant started at a ridiculously high price, and the buyer offered an unreasonably low amount. They went back and forth until they met somewhere in the middle.

Once they agreed on the price, the merchant scooped the grain into a deep, round, wooden measure. In his writing about the history of Jerusalem, theologian Joachim Jeremias, explains the process in this way: 

“First of all, he fills the measure three-quarters full, and then gives the basket a rotating shake to make the grain settle, and settle, and settle, and settle Once the rotary motion is done with the three-quarter filled basket, it all settles and settles, and all the little grain find all the space and fill it up, fill it up, and it’s solid packed, then he fills the rest to the very top. And once it’s filled to the very top flat, it’s given another shake and another shake. Then he presses the corn together strongly with both hands, pushing, and pushing, and pushing it down.”

That sounds like a good and fair measure, but that isn’t where the process ended. As wheat filled the firmly packed container, it formed a cone of grain. When it was packed full and seemed like not one more grain could fit, the man poked his finger into the cone and made an indent. He poured in more grain to fill in until the grain ran down the sides. This is what was meant by "a full measure" in Bible times.

We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19)

 It starts with giving

Now that we’ve made it clear what a full measure was in the times of Jesus, let’s take a brief look at what Jesus was talking about and how a full measure applies. The verse starts with, “…Give, and it shall be given unto you….” Jesus was talking about giving. Just like that grain, we are to give, and give and give. But it’s not only talking about money or even property. We are also to give love, kindness, grace, forgiveness, and more. And when we do, we will receive the same back in good measure, but that is not to be our motive. Our motive is to love because He loved us.

 

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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, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction). When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.

 

Photo credits: pixabay, wikimedia, bible.knowing-jesus.com