Recently I was asked the question “if you were to have a scripture tattooed on your body, what scripture would you choose?” No matter your stance on tattoos, please keep reading, this has less to do with tattoos but more to do with the wrestling with scripture and wearing it boldly like a tattoo. All scripture is God-breathed and useful, but each of us seem to have those passages that float to the top of our minds because or circumstances or situations that they seemed to take root deeply in our hearts. For the longest time my life verse has been Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” It seems like that would be a logical choice, but as I’ve been reading through the Bible again this year, I noticed a message given to Jacob, that repeats the same theme as the promise given to Abraham, and I think as children of God, we can make the logical jump that this could apply to us as well.
Genesis 28:14b “and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Wow! There is both promise and responsibility here. In verse 15 God says “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go…” As a child of God, He promises to be with me and keep me, but also to use me to bless all the families of the earth. So here is where I have been challenged recently. If I’m living by faith in God, how is my life blessing my family, my neighbors, the people I work with, see at the store, on the road, at my church, in my town, and around the world? What actions am I taking, in obedience to Christ, to be a blessing? How is my role in my family blessing them and helping them to bless others?
How am I supposed to know how to bless people? As my heart begins to line up with God’s heart, growing in wisdom from his Word and acting in every situation with obedience to God, I treat others as God would treat them. I guess understanding both of these verses together, if I get myself out of the way and let God work in and through me as I obey his Word, He will bless the world through my life. What a great opportunity. I want to be a blessing to the world, I want my family to be a blessing to the world, and I hope that is your desire as well.
How are you blessing the families of your corner of the world? How is God working in your life right now? I’ll be honest, I’m scared of needles so there aren’t any tattoos happening with me anytime soon, but thinking about some ink has helped me to think deeply about how God’s Word is being applied to my life. Is the seed of this promise to bless the world through me and my family bearing fruit in the community around me?
