Yes, I am Made of Scars

Yes, I am Made of Scars!!

“While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked Him to dine with him, so He went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that He did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.” Luke 11:37-41 (ESV)

I always disliked wearing a necktie. I dislike it so much that I never bothered to learn how to tie one until I was 40 and even then it was because someone else said I had to do it. My wife and others tell me that I look handsome in a suit, with the tie, but I don’t see it. Because you see under that well groomed suit, with the tie, there lays a man who knows he is made of scars. Not only do I have my tattooing scars, my “having been knifed” scars and my “just being plain dumb” scars, I have my heart scars. And sometimes when I look into a mirror I can see into my heart or better put, “my cup” and remember a time when it was full of all the wrong things.

I can’t begin to tell you all about the wrong things that I filled my cup with and it really doesn’t matter after I emptied it when I got to the foot of the Cross. It is about making sure that I refill my cup with “living water”. When I read the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, I get a better understanding why it is important to keep the inside of my cup clean. The living water that Jesus was offering was in fact “The Spirit of Grace”. And this “Spirit of Grace” needs to reside in a cup that is clean.

I often look at that moment in Biblical history and say that we all need to be taken to the well so Jesus can deal with us face to face. The woman at the well had a dirty cup to say the least but it’s how Jesus deals with her sin that sets the stage for the “Why” we use this story as an example on how Jesus is for everyone and not just a select few. The woman thinks she is noticing the obvious about Jesus after He tells of the living water, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?”(John 4:11) And Jesus goes for the heart of what is really going on here.

Figuratively is how Jesus had spoken to her and literally is how she took Him. He tells her that Jacob’s water will bring short satisfaction but whoever partakes of the “Spirit of Grace” will never thirst again. Jesus brings conviction to her conscience and rebukes her present state of living. And she goes down the road to announces, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29)

So how can I go from a tie to a cup? It’s all about the rebuke Jesus gave the Pharisees in the aforementioned verse. Even though I dislike the tie, there are times where the outside of my “cup” needs to have the right appearance but that “Tie” is worth nothing around my neck if my heart is off center with The Father. It doesn’t matter about how much damage I have done to my physical body as to what really got repaired and how it needs to presented to those around me who need to see that I really desire to have a heart like Jesus. When it is not about that, the suit and tie is useless and I consider it but refuse if I know not Christ. And just for a final note, I own only one suit…but you should see my collection of ties, SANTO!! -- Chris Hughes is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a frequent contributor to Freedom Fighter

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 1; Numbers 20-22; Mark 7:1-13

Dig this Quote: What do you say to God when you are under the work of the Cross? You need not say a lot to Him, or even think of Him much. He sees your suffering, and your willingness to submit. With people you love you do not need to continually say, “I love you with all my heart.” Even if you do not think about how much you love Him, you still love God every bit as much. True love is deep down in the spirit—simple, peaceful, and silent.” The Seeking Heart Fenelon

Determined Digging: (Level 1) Psalm 30:5; (Level 2) Psalm 37:23-26