For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (NIV)
Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By His Spirit He has stamped us with His eternal pledge-a sure beginning of what He is destined to complete. (Message)
Thoughts
In Wyoming we still brand our horses to prove ownership. I was able to retrieve a stolen horse 300 miles from home just because he bore my brand.
If I value them, I brand them. If I'm traveling out of state, it's easy to prove ownership at the borders. Even if they get lost in the wilderness, a game warden or forest service personnel is likely to come across them and I'll get them back.
(Wes W)
Action Point
I Peter 2:24 reminds us, "Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed," (NCKJV). Our brand pictured above is called the "Lone Tree" brand, the cross on the hill. Isaiah 49:16 says, "Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before Me," (Amplified). That makes for a pretty iron clad relationship. I'm branded His and He's branded mine.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
If you're an "outlaw" you won't like this idea cause it will reveal you. But, we all fill out the luggage stickers at the airport to get our lost luggage back. Something a lot more convenient than three sentences of address information is to brand your valuables. I've branded a wood pistol, knife grips, leather saddle bags, and scabbards. When the grand kids inherit the stuff, they'll know it was Grandpa's.
