what's your brand?

Galatians 6:17-18

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

In Galatians 6:17 Paul says, “From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” These marks could be physical scars from the persecution he endured while preaching the Gospel or symbolic of the bond he had with Jesus.

Let’s think all the way back to the first chapter of Galatians. Paul wrote in Galatians 1:10 “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Paul describes himself as a servant, or bondservant, or slave, of Christ meaning that he is, according to the dictionary, “a person bound is service without wages.” So in other words, Paul owes Christ everything and should not expect anything in return. These bondservants were often branded so that people would know who their master was.

By saying that he bears the marks of Jesus, Paul is saying that he belongs to Jesus and will live his life to honor Him. In the same way, we should make Jesus the center of our lives and go out of our way do what He wants us to.

Paul concludes the book by saying, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters, Amen.” This is Paul’s way of saying goodbye to the people of the church he is writing to, and in doing so, he emphasizes the grace of Jesus. Which is something that we should remember is endless and should always be thankful for.

Answer This:

1.   What are ways that you can “bear the marks of Jesus” in your everyday life.

2.   How had God shown you his endless grace?

3. From now on let no one cause me _________, for I bear on my body the marks of __________.

4. Take a minute and journal about this topic.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written by Hannah Pergolizzi