A tapestry is a painting in thread.
As we create our thread painting on our loom, there are four vital things we must consider.
First, our loom must be dedicated. It will be used for one painting until it is completely finished. The threads that are woven into the final picture cannot be removed and replaced at will without destroying our finished work.
Second, we need a beater. It can be wood, metal, or a combination. The construction isn’t important. What counts is how well it presses the threads into position to ensure a compact and well-formed final product.
Third, the warp (thread) must be very strong. It will be under extreme tension during the weaving process. If we can break it easily with our hands, it will fail us before we are done.
Fourth, the threads we weave into our image must disappear into the overall tapestry. The beginnings and ends will be skillfully hidden, with people unable to detect the individual strands.
1 Timothy 2:9 tells us:
“Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire.”
Yet Ezekiel 16:10 says:
“I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk.”
So what do we do? Are we to be somber and staid, or should we endeavor to shine with the best the world has to offer?
We need to look back at our tapestry.
We must be dedicated. Christ is our only purpose. He is the needle that weaves us into the church, placing us just where we need to be to create the best effect in the final image.
We will be in close contact with those around us. Our walk with Christ will force us to rub shoulders with our fellow Christians, and we will become one with them.
Strength of character is vital. Impurities, no matter how fuzzy, warm, or entreating to our carnal minds, will cause the church to fail when put under stress.
We are not the final product. The work of Christ on earth and his message of the cross are all people should be able to see in us.
The story in Ezekiel tells of a faithless church that began to see herself as beautiful because of her fine jewels and great beauty. She forgot she was one thread in a vast tapestry, and she lost herself to the world. She failed when put under stress, because warm and fuzzy was more important than strength of character.
We need to consider that we are the threads woven with the needle of Christ. We need to be beautiful for him. However, do we make the church stronger? Or will we fail him when he needs us most? If all we care about is appearance, we’ve become a weak thread in the tapestry of the church. Just like with any project woven in thread, if one part fails, the rest becomes useless, also.
Let’s make our threads strong, so that the church will remain strong as well.
The whole is as strong as the one. We must be pillars of strength for Christ.
Copyright © 2015 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.G.31.15.vp.esv
Originally Posted 11-16-15 in Relationships