My Dear Friends in the Faith:
They had their beginning in the land of Ancient Egypt as a form of worship to the deities or gods in that land. It was their way of showing true love and commitment so Egyptians intentionally marked their bodies for the gods that they revered. In the late 1960's they popped up in America as a form of body decoration and they have been running like crazy every since. What are they you ask? Tattoos!
There is no way to get a "tat" (as they are called) without some degree of pain and discomfort because the permanent mark is placed under the surface of the skin with a needle. But, that does not seem to be a deterrent at all to getting one of these lifelong marks placed on a body that's temporary? I should say not. In fact, just a glimpse at our star studded celebrity world tells us that people are really into "tats". Beyonce' has a tattoo of praying hands on her upper left thigh; Allen Iverson of the NBA has a tattoo of his son on his left arm in full color; Halle Barry has a tattoo of a flower on her lower left hip to be viewed by those who are privileged enough to see it in person; Eve (hip-hop artist) has tiger paws tattooed on her chess; Mike Tyson waited until he was 38 years old to place a tattoo on his face of a Samoan warrior (crazy in my opinion); and, Usher has multiple tattoos is various parts of his body for reasons that need not be publicly discussed. Over 70 percent of the men in the NBA have tattoos, 58 percent of the NFL is tattooed, over 38 percent of the women in the WNBA have tattoos, and about 32% of all Americans under the age of 30 have one somewhere on their body. In short, we are all marked up!
Intrigued by these body marks I took the time to speak to a gentleman the other day who was literally covered by them at the grocery store. His name was Leonard Lopez. I asked him what all of these marks meant. He said and I quote "my life has been a journey and with each of my tats comes a tale that should be told." As he hopped on his Harley and drove off I said to myself, "Wow! What a concept!!!" Every tat comes with a tale. You see, as born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we too are tattooed. But our marks are not on our flesh they are a part of our faith. The Lord has never asked anyone to get a tat on our bodies, but He did command that we believe on Him and His Word. The shouting news for those who love the Lord is that our marks were borne by another on a hill call Calvary! He took nails through His hands and His feet so that He would bear the marks of His love for us. But, we are asked to tell the world the tale of His tats so that others want one of our tattoos!
Here's how the Apostle Paul put it. "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). ---In other words, Paul says the only marks that I have on me are the marks I have permitted within me. Because He was bruised for me I must let the world know just how much of a difference Jesus Christ has made in my life! So here's our devotional question for the day. So what does it mean marked by the Master?
They had their beginning in the land of Ancient Egypt as a form of worship to the deities or gods in that land. It was their way of showing true love and commitment so Egyptians intentionally marked their bodies for the gods that they revered. In the late 1960's they popped up in America as a form of body decoration and they have been running like crazy every since. What are they you ask? Tattoos!
There is no way to get a "tat" (as they are called) without some degree of pain and discomfort because the permanent mark is placed under the surface of the skin with a needle. But, that does not seem to be a deterrent at all to getting one of these lifelong marks placed on a body that's temporary? I should say not. In fact, just a glimpse at our star studded celebrity world tells us that people are really into "tats". Beyonce' has a tattoo of praying hands on her upper left thigh; Allen Iverson of the NBA has a tattoo of his son on his left arm in full color; Halle Barry has a tattoo of a flower on her lower left hip to be viewed by those who are privileged enough to see it in person; Eve (hip-hop artist) has tiger paws tattooed on her chess; Mike Tyson waited until he was 38 years old to place a tattoo on his face of a Samoan warrior (crazy in my opinion); and, Usher has multiple tattoos is various parts of his body for reasons that need not be publicly discussed. Over 70 percent of the men in the NBA have tattoos, 58 percent of the NFL is tattooed, over 38 percent of the women in the WNBA have tattoos, and about 32% of all Americans under the age of 30 have one somewhere on their body. In short, we are all marked up!
Intrigued by these body marks I took the time to speak to a gentleman the other day who was literally covered by them at the grocery store. His name was Leonard Lopez. I asked him what all of these marks meant. He said and I quote "my life has been a journey and with each of my tats comes a tale that should be told." As he hopped on his Harley and drove off I said to myself, "Wow! What a concept!!!" Every tat comes with a tale. You see, as born-again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we too are tattooed. But our marks are not on our flesh they are a part of our faith. The Lord has never asked anyone to get a tat on our bodies, but He did command that we believe on Him and His Word. The shouting news for those who love the Lord is that our marks were borne by another on a hill call Calvary! He took nails through His hands and His feet so that He would bear the marks of His love for us. But, we are asked to tell the world the tale of His tats so that others want one of our tattoos!
Here's how the Apostle Paul put it. "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" (Gal. 6:17). ---In other words, Paul says the only marks that I have on me are the marks I have permitted within me. Because He was bruised for me I must let the world know just how much of a difference Jesus Christ has made in my life! So here's our devotional question for the day. So what does it mean marked by the Master?
First, it means that you bear the tattoo of His authenticity. We are surrounded by things that are fake. Fake people, fake purses, fake jewelry, fake fruit on display on the table that always look so real but is good for nothing, fake love, fake church folk, fake family folk, and fake friends. But, what the Lord is looking for is some people that are real! Real in their love for Him, real in their commitment to Him, real in their prayers to Him, real in their worship of Him and real in the living for Him. Paul says "henceforth let no man trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." This is rich! The term marks is stigmatah in the Greek. It refers to the intentional mark received by a slave. It was Paul's way of saying I belong to my master and there is nothing phony about it. In short, Paul says I love Jesus Christ and I can prove it because my lifestyle has been tattooed. What tale does your lifestyle tell? Do people know that you love Jesus Christ just by looking at how you live? If you earnestly love the Lord your lifestyle should say that I am marked for Him because I am real with it!!!
Secondly, it means that you have at least one mark of affliction. One of the true marks of a Christian is not how loudly you can shout, it is not how many Sunday School classes you've attended, and it is not how many tongues you can speak. The true mark of a saint is seen in how you endure moments of suffering, hurt, dismay and affliction. People who are living without the Lord cannot make it through. They give up and give out. But, those who have been marked by the master end up with a few scars and a greater testimony! Real saints come out of tough times with a tat and tale! They have a story that says, "When I was too weak to continue the Lord picked me up and carried me through!" Paul says "...I bear in my body the marks...” In other words he is saying I have been beaten, lied on, talked about, mistreated, ship wrecked, bitten by a deadly snake, left for dead, and tormented. But after all of that, I am still here. That's your story too isn't it? You have your tale because you have some tats. Some of you reading this devotional have been scarred! Those are your real tats and with each one of them comes a tale. Those scars are your tats of affliction!
And, lastly it means that you are tattooed with a mark of sincere adoration. I have talked to numerous people that have tattoos and I have discovered that everyone of them look at their marks as something that they value, something that they love and something that they adore. In short, these bodily marks are symbols of worship. Paul says that his marks are "...are of the Lord." In other words my marks are for HIM! I am living for HIM! I forgave the people that tried to damage me because I love HIM! I pray because I believe in HIM! I depend on Him! My life is in HIM! I serve HIM! I adore HIM! I need HIM! And, I bless HIM! Now this is a real tattoo. Did you know that the greatest thing that you could ever do for HIM is be marked as a worshipper? You see, real worship is not what you do with your lips, but it is what you do with your life. It is about the God that you have chosen to serve. And, when you are living for Jesus, loving Jesus, telling others about Jesus, serving Jesus, and trying to become more like Jesus you bear the greatest tat and have the most awesome tale to tell in the world! Here's the story we live for...He came, He cared, He hung, He died, He was buried, He was resurrected, He is in heaven and He shall return.
Lopez rode off on his Harley with a huge tattoo of a cross on His back. As I looked at him I thought about how painful that tat must have been. Then I thought about the fact that Jesus did not ask us to wear a cross but He did ask us to bear a cross! If you do not have a tattoo in your flesh don't get one. Live the faith! But, if you have a tattoo on your body already tell people that you got this mark when you were being what you used to be. And, then tell them about your new tats! Not the ones that are in your flesh but the ones that are in your faith. Tell them your tales of how the Lord has favored you, marked you, healed you, saved you, delivered you, cared for you and blessed you all the days of your life! Tell your story and let others know that when it comes to Jesus Christ you are one hundred percent REAL with and you have the tats to prove it!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
Secondly, it means that you have at least one mark of affliction. One of the true marks of a Christian is not how loudly you can shout, it is not how many Sunday School classes you've attended, and it is not how many tongues you can speak. The true mark of a saint is seen in how you endure moments of suffering, hurt, dismay and affliction. People who are living without the Lord cannot make it through. They give up and give out. But, those who have been marked by the master end up with a few scars and a greater testimony! Real saints come out of tough times with a tat and tale! They have a story that says, "When I was too weak to continue the Lord picked me up and carried me through!" Paul says "...I bear in my body the marks...” In other words he is saying I have been beaten, lied on, talked about, mistreated, ship wrecked, bitten by a deadly snake, left for dead, and tormented. But after all of that, I am still here. That's your story too isn't it? You have your tale because you have some tats. Some of you reading this devotional have been scarred! Those are your real tats and with each one of them comes a tale. Those scars are your tats of affliction!
And, lastly it means that you are tattooed with a mark of sincere adoration. I have talked to numerous people that have tattoos and I have discovered that everyone of them look at their marks as something that they value, something that they love and something that they adore. In short, these bodily marks are symbols of worship. Paul says that his marks are "...are of the Lord." In other words my marks are for HIM! I am living for HIM! I forgave the people that tried to damage me because I love HIM! I pray because I believe in HIM! I depend on Him! My life is in HIM! I serve HIM! I adore HIM! I need HIM! And, I bless HIM! Now this is a real tattoo. Did you know that the greatest thing that you could ever do for HIM is be marked as a worshipper? You see, real worship is not what you do with your lips, but it is what you do with your life. It is about the God that you have chosen to serve. And, when you are living for Jesus, loving Jesus, telling others about Jesus, serving Jesus, and trying to become more like Jesus you bear the greatest tat and have the most awesome tale to tell in the world! Here's the story we live for...He came, He cared, He hung, He died, He was buried, He was resurrected, He is in heaven and He shall return.
Lopez rode off on his Harley with a huge tattoo of a cross on His back. As I looked at him I thought about how painful that tat must have been. Then I thought about the fact that Jesus did not ask us to wear a cross but He did ask us to bear a cross! If you do not have a tattoo in your flesh don't get one. Live the faith! But, if you have a tattoo on your body already tell people that you got this mark when you were being what you used to be. And, then tell them about your new tats! Not the ones that are in your flesh but the ones that are in your faith. Tell them your tales of how the Lord has favored you, marked you, healed you, saved you, delivered you, cared for you and blessed you all the days of your life! Tell your story and let others know that when it comes to Jesus Christ you are one hundred percent REAL with and you have the tats to prove it!!!
Your Friend and His Servant,
Dr. John R. Adolph
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