"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 1:13 NIV).
"You look just like your dad." The cashier at the Sears & Roebuck in downtown Bristol said to me, while pointing at my father.
I was five years old. I was visiting the Sears where my dad worked as a department manager.
"You have big, brown eyes just like his." She continued, as she waved at us as we passed.
"Thank you." I said, sticking my chest out and walking hand and hand with my dad through the store (According to man-code, it's still OK to hold hands with your dad at age five).
My mother used to say that my father "marked me." And I guess he did. I still have his brown eyes, but as I've gotten older I've noticed that my mother "marked me" pretty good too.
Are you "marked" by anyone?
This coming Sunday we're launching a new series entitled: "9 Marks of Authentic Christians." We'll be looking at the "fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5. The word "fruit" is singular, but there are nine traits or marks of this fruit.
Authentic Christianity is often defined by the following "B" words: believe, belong, behave, and become. Many disagree on the order of these and on which should come first. They're all important, but perhaps the one that has contributed most to the accusation of "Christians being hypocrites" has come from one that is often lacking. This one has to do with character. It has to do with becoming like Christ.
You can say that you believe and belong. You can even follow the Christian rules and behave religiously. But you can't fake the character thing. You either have your Father's character, or you don't. You're either marked by the Spirit of God... or you're not.
Love, joy, peace... these are the marks of a life filled with the Spirit of God and marked by His character.
While I'm glad that my parents marked me, I'm more hopeful that I'll grow to become more like Jesus. I want to be marked by Him.
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