The strength of my devotion to Jesus Christ is not measured by my speech, but by my sufferings. When Paul urged the Colossians on to greater zeal for God, he did not argue; he pointed. “Remember my bonds [prison chains],” he wrote to them (Colossians 4:18, KJV). If his sufferings for Christ could not convince them, nothing could. Would Paul himself not know? What started him thinking about Christ—Stephen’s speech or his death (Acts 7:60–8:1)?
Paul has left us many memorials of his devotion to Christ—letters, travels, sermons, miracles—but he left nothing greater than his chains, the symbol of his sufferings for Christ’s sake. The measure of a person’s devotion to any cause, right or wrong, is the depth of the suffering he is willing to undergo for it. That is why Paul could say, “I bear on my body the brandmarks of Jesus” (Galatians 6:17).
What scars do I bear for Christ? Scars are not an end in themselves, but signs of an inward commitment. Nor must I seek scars of the body, but what are more important, scars of the spirit. The scars of the spirit are the sacrifices of self-dependence and self-direction that I make for Christ’s sake. Whether or not I ever wear physical scars for Christ is not essential; it is absolutely essential that I wear spiritual scars for Him.
A Christian once said, “There are no nailprints in my hands.” Perhaps not. But a more pertinent question is: Are there nailprints in your heart? Paul rejoiced in his scars, because then, he said, “the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV); he was willing to trade scars for the privilege of bearing fruit. So will everyone who follows the Lamb wherever He goes.
“In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them; and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9).
Daily with the King 