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Daily Devotion: Galatians 6:17

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Galatians 6:17    "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."

"I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus."  Paul was stating a fact that imprinted a precious truth in his heart and mind. This was a statement on the same line as the man who was born blind. His one testimony that would stand the test of time was that he once was blind, but now he could see. Paul knew that his life once was in direct contrast to what the Lord had done for him. "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." He could state that over and over with a conviction of the Lord's grace in his life.  

There was a sense in which Paul literally bore the marks of the Lord Jesus. Let's refresh our minds on that. in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep..." (2 Corinthians 11:23-25)  That was not all the suffering that the Apostle Paul endured, but it shows us that surely there were literal marks (scars) on his body that were inflicted for the cause of Christ.  

Yes, there were literal marks but also, there are spiritual marks that Paul bore; and, I believe we are to bear these same identifying marks that show our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He listed those identifying marks back in Galatians 5:22-23, "... love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance..." The very first identifying mark is that which Jesus spoke on the night of his betrayal: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:35)  Yes, the greatest identifying mark that we can bear is when we show love, patience, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. When we show those identifying factors toward others, we can experience the inner markings within our hearts which are, peace, joy, and faith in the work of Jesus Christ.  My prayer is that I will be more diligent in allowing those marks of Christ to be seen in me.

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