September 14, 2018

We All Have Tattoos!

By baptized Daily Word 1 Comment

Oh no, am I really going to broach the subject of tattoos? There has been so much debate in the church over this. For many, it is a gray area. The Old Testament in Leviticus says, no ink. But in the New Testament, we all know that Jesus came to help us understand what really matters. He came to show us the Truth, and the Light, and the Way, right?

Scripture: “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” – Rev. 19:16

Observation/Application:
Did Jesus have a tattoo? The debate rages. Either way, this verse conjures up interesting images in our mind that are sure different from that traditional ones that we are used to seeing of Jesus. What I love is that Jesus was no doubt the most powerful, coolest, and “baddest” dude to ever walk the planet. I personally love the idea of Jesus with a tattoo. I mean, he could do whatever he wanted to, so why not? MMA superstar, Xtreme Strongman, Marvel superhero – they got nothing on Jesus!

And Jesus performed more miracles than could ever be written about. (John 21:25) Coincidentally none of us were there to see these miracles, and this particular vision, except for John. And since John was the person there, and who wrote this, I’m going with what John wrote in the Bible. Since all we have is the Word, I am going with the Word, and the Word says that Jesus had “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” written on his thigh. We can call it a tattoo, try to discount it as symbolic, hypothesize it was removable ink, or discount it as a dream… whatever. The fact is that in today’s scripture, Jesus has something written on his thigh.

What I find really interesting is that there is other scripture that says that we all have been written on as well!

“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” – (Jeremiah 31:33)
“I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” – (Hebrews 10:16)

So we can say that we have no markings on us, that we are free from any writing on us, but the Word tells us different. Between these two scriptures both our hearts and our minds have been written on. Praise God we have all been tattooed! I thought I was clean and free of any tattoos or markings – but as it turns out, I’m a real bad-a**. Not only do I have one, but I have two!

And guess what? SO DO YOU! How do you like them apples?

Can anyone see them? Apparently not… the ultrasound and MRI can’t even pick them up. But wouldn’t you know it, God can! He can see lots that we can’t see. And just because we can’t see something, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Can we see gravity? Nope. But we can only see the effect of gravity, just like we can see the effect of someone who accepts the love of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Look, I know there is plenty of entertainment value sprinkled into my journal entry today. Here’s the deal – I am certain God loves a joyful heart. The joy of the Lord is my strength. Today is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Consider it joy. Let’s make sure that we focus on what really matters. And it is what is written on our hearts, and on our minds – not on our bodies. What matters is that God knows the writing on our hearts and minds, no matter how we try to cover it up. He knows the writing that exists, even if we try to deny it.

And that is what really matters.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, we just want to thank you so much for your Word. You love, grace, and mercy covers us. Let it wash us clean from all worry, from all hate, from all judgement, from all dirtiness, from all ugliness. Cleanse us from all that is not from you God. Help us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to do everything for your glory Lord. You are so so good to us. Bring us closer to you. Help us to be so focused on you that the scales are removed from our eyes and we can see things as you see them. Give us wisdom and understanding Lord. Let our thoughts, our actions, and our Words serve to honor You Lord. We honor you the words that you have written on our hearts and minds, and in all that we do. We give you all the honor and glory in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Image courtesy of: Barry.Lenard