His servants will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads.--Revelation 22:4
He wants the world to know who we are. He wants to proclaim Himself everywhere. To this end, He uses all of us, even our skin. It all belongs to Him.
You were included with Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked with a seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession.--Ephesians 1:13-14
I am God's possession. He wants me to know it and He wants the world to see it. And I get more than a tattoo:
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of the Lord...I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem...and I will also write on him my new name.--Revelation 3:12
This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord is our Righteousness.--Jeremiah 33:16
I have believed and He has pledged to give me His Name.
Until them, however, I have a job to do. My job is to overcome the sin with which He has ordained that I be tempted. That is it. To overcome temptation and sin.
To do this, I use His seal, His promise, as my defense. Every time I resist sin, I exalt God's power in me and in doing this, prepare my forehead for His final tattoo.
I am His. I proclaim it by His mark, His Spirit, His Name. I live it through His strength.
I always have to smile. Couldn't possibly tattoo, mostly b/c I'm anti-needle-oriented. Also, don't agree with doing it physically. However, the "tattoo" that shows in my life is that anyone who knew me before the Lord broke in and "grew" me, I had angry face and eyes, and was ready to fight on any given basis. NOW, after many years, people think I'm just sooo sweet and quiet. [Nope! BUT now it's to fight for people who need help to move forward, both in their culture and with the Lord.] IF I could have a tattoo, from HIM, it would be flower after flower, mountain after mountain, sea after sea, tree after tree. I'd be covered!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing so straightforwardly.
Really like the mental picture of your prospective tattoo. Beautiful, and endless, like Him. Thanks for sharing.
DeleteYour title caught my eye - possibly because my youngest dau just informed me this morning that she got a new tattoo last night! She, like you, believes even her skin can be a witness. Me? I'd rather use other ways to witness, LOL!
ReplyDeleteTruth is, the tat above is not on me, but am starting to see that God-art comes in lots of forms. Like most things, we're dealing with heart here, rather than rules, I think. I'm sure you will give your daughter the grace she needs to affirm the depth of her faith. She evidently expects her faith to last as long as her skin. Liking that part.
Deleteoh my... can't ever see a tatoo like that but perhaps someone might like it. Me 'I am chicken'.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Tattoos can be a ministry because of their content and because tattooed folks attract a "different" type of person than what many believers attract.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from the Growing Home linky :)
I love your thoughts about using His mark as a defensive shield. I'm going to tell my husband this!
ReplyDeleteYou got the point exactly. It's not the actual tattoo that's the important part. It's the mark God imparts, His Spirit and the promise that goes with it, that have real power.
DeleteThanks, Jen.
Thank you for sharing these encouraging words.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Charlotte