BROKENNESS

God uses people who are broken in themselves and not bold in themselves. He gives boldness to broken people by the power of his Holy Spirit. The world says, "Be bold!" God says, "Be broken!" A broken and contrite heart he will not despise. God always builds with broken things and broken people so that his glory is seen and not man. In order for God to use us we must present our brokenness to him. God can take broken things and broken people. He then mends them, fills them and uses them for his purpose.

CHRIST AND THE COMMANDMENTS

1. The Commandments condemned making graven images; Christ is the image of God.

(Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3)

2. The commandments condemn the worship of images; Christ may be freely worshipped as the Image of God (Phil. 2:8, 9)

3. The commandments condemn the taking of the name of the Lord in vain; we may use the name of Jesus in prayer (John 14:13, 14; 16:24).

4. The commandments demanded a day of rest, the Sabbath; Christ is our Sabbath, our rest. We rest in his finished works (Heb. 4).

5. The commandments command us to honour father and mother; Christ honored his Heavenly Father and his earthly parents (Luke 2:51; John 4:34)

6. The commandments condemn killing; Christ was killed for us on the tree (Acts 3:14, 15).

7. The commandments condemns adultery; Christ is our faithful Bridegroom (Ephesians 5:25-27).

8. The commandments condemns false witnesses; Christ was the faithful Witness (Rev. 5:1)

9. The commandments condemn stealing; Christ, though he was rich became poor that we through his poverty might be rich (II Cor. 8:9).

10. The commandments condemn covetousness; Christ did not hold on covetously to his equality with God butlaid it aside and humbled himself unto death in order to bring us to God (Phil. 2:5-8)

Cedar Trees in Lebanon

As someone who has placed Jesus Christ as the center and focus of his life it is my desire to grow in my relationship with him and become more like Him. Like the cedar of Lebanon I want to grow up in him and put my roots deep into him. My motto for this year and beyond is GROWING HIGHER IN CHRIST, GOING DEEPER WITH CHRIST. The Cedar of Lebanon is my emblem.

In Psalm 92:12, the promise is given that the righteous shall flourish like a palm tree and shall grow like a CEDAR IN LEBANON.

TATOOS

TATOOS

I HAVE HAD SOME INTERESTING ENCOUNTERS WITH TATOO WEARERS. The first of these was IN Minneapolis, Minnesota. While waiting on my flight at the airport I saw a young man with arms well covered with SOME REMARKABLE DESIGNS. My heart went out to him as he sat on the carpet not far from where my wife and I were sitting. I slid over and sat beside him on the floor. Looking at his arm I began to ask him about the meaning of his TATOO. He was eager to enlighten me.

“THIS ONE,” HE SAID, “IS the Garden of Eden.” I listened as he TRACED THE MEANING OF HIS MARKS FROM BEGINNING TO END.

When he was through I took the opportunity to point him to THE ONE WHO BORE MARKS ON HIS BODY BECAUSE OF US – the lord Jesus Christ. As we concluded our discussion i left him with some literature.

My second encounter was at a mall in Grenada. As I stood by the wayside handing out literature I saw this foreign visitor coming towards me, shirtless, exposing his array of tattoos ON CHEST AND ARMS. The lord gave me a fitting word for him. I said, “You have quite a lot of marks, what is the meaning of this one as I pointed to an IMPRINT on his arm.” He replied, “That’s Elvis, Elvis prestly.” I told him that I knew of someone who also had lots of marks on his body, Jesus Christ. He bore our marks WHEN HE DIED UPON THE CROSS.

The hands, feet, head, side and back of Christ were marked for us. His marks were deeper than any tattoo. They were more than skin deep; they went deep into his tissues and down to his bones. He was marked because of our sins. HE WAS MARKED FOR ALL TIME AND ETERNITY. He still bears those marks even in heaven. HIS WOUNDS are healed but the SCARS will remain for all eternity.

Our tattoos may not mean much but his marks mean everything. They remind Us of his love for us in his willingness to bear the pain caused by our sins. As we repent of them and accept his suffering in our behalf and himself as our Saviour god forgives us and marks us as his children. His holy spirit comes to live within us and seals us, identifying us as his adopted sons (john 1:12). The mark of his spirit within us remains within us always.

When Christ arose from the dead he showed his disciples the marks in his hands so they could identify him as theIR Saviour. You can trust HIM your saviour the one who bears the marks in his hands AND FEET AND SIDE for you.

Friend, have you received the one who bore your marks and mine as your saviour from sin? Do you have his mark UPON you identifying you as his own?

In some parts of the world today many Christians bear the physical marks of Christ. They have been scarred by those who hate Christ and those who follow him. Like Paul the apostle they can say, “I bear in my body the marks of christ,”

Identifying with Christ may cost you pain. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” To take up the cross means to identify with the sufferings of Christ. If you are serious about following Christ it will cost you something – suffering in some form, either physically, verbally or emotionally. You might lose friends or a job. But then you have to decide which is more important - to bear a physical tattoo in your body and identify with the world’s lifestyle or bear the marks of suffering for Christ.