ALL
SCARS HAVE A STORY AND A PURPOSE
BREAD
37 He
took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be
sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then
he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to
the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he
fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My
Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will,
but as you will.” Matthew
26:37-39 (NIV)
26 A week
later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though
the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and
put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord
and my God!” 29 Then
Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:26-29 (NIV)
8 We do
not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the
province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to
endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt
the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves
but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he
will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver
us, 11 as you
help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the
gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NIV)
What
anyone else dares to boast about--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast
about. 22 Are
they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's
descendants? So am I. 23 Are
they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I
have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more
severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the
Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned,
three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the
move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from
my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in
the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27 I have labored and toiled and
have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often
gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I
face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel
weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? 2 Corinthians 11:21-29 (NIV)
7 To
keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great
revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to
torment me. 8 Three
times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's
sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
3 The
crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.
Proverbs 17:3 (NIV)
BUTTER
“My scars remind me that God is sufficient. And that physical perfection is not our goal. A life lived to God’s glory is infinitely more valuable. Scars represent more than I ever realized. They can be beautiful. The dictionary says “a scar is a mark left by a healed wound.” A healed wound... There is something captivating about people who were unafraid to be themselves: authentic, unmasked, and unashamed of the wounds that shaped them. Their vulnerability is magnetic. Because all scars have a story.” Vaneetha Rendall Risner
“Throughout the history of Christianity formalism has always been a deadly obstacle to the progress of both churches and individuals, leading the twentieth-century American preacher Vance Havner to say, ‘Many a Christian, many a church, has everything in the showcase and nothing on the shelves.’” John Blanchard
“Jesus doesn’t need us to be His militants in a broken world — as much as He invites all of us who’ve been mangled by this broken world to simply point to our Mender. Since we only have relationship with Him through His scars, we are as relatable as our scars — which lets others touch their scars to His — and be healed by His wounds.” Ann Voskamp
“The
ocean will hold a boat or a battleship, and God’s grace will stand any weight you
put on it.” Vance Havner
“Scars are the price which every
believer pays for his loyalty to Christ.” William Hendriksen
“The cross, intersection of
His love and my need, beam that supports the whole of a real life. The cross,
the tree on which God hung Grace, the Light of the world, the only Star that
shattered all my dark. I’m bent and cracked before a cross a few weeks before
Christmas. And if there is no cross in
my Christmas, then my Christmas has lost Christ, and what is the manger if it
not for the Messiah, the one who saves us with the scars? This Babe who lays in a wooden manger, who
came to lie on a wooden Cross, He is healing all wounds…” Ann Voskamp
“If
my wounds draw me to the Healer, how great are my wounds!” BHY
“Are
you fighting with the adversary today?
Are Satan, the world, and the flesh, all against you? Be not discouraged nor dismayed. Fight on!
For God Himself is with you; Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah
Rophi is the healer of your wounds. Fear
not, you shall overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence? Fight on, ‘looking unto Jesus;’ and though
long and stern be the conflict, sweet will be the victory, and glorious the
promised reward.” Charles H. Spurgeon
HEART
SAVOR
- · Christ’s wounds saved my scrawny neck. By His wounds I am healed.
- · Christ’s power is made perfect in my weakness.
- · Wounds healed by Jesus point others to the Savior.
