Branded by God

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel: After those days, says the Lord, I will put My law within them, and on their hearts will I write it; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. (Jeremiah 31:33)

God was talking about a future covenant that was coming.  A covenant much better than the covenant at that time.  A covenant that was internal, instead of external.  A covenant where God would miraculously take residence within us and write His laws on our hearts.

I remember the old western movies where the cattle owners would “brand” their livestock by burning a unique mark on the hide of their cattle to let everyone know who the cattle belonged to.

God desires not just to have his words written on the pages of a book, but also to burn those words on our hearts.

In order for a steer to be branded, the cattle owner would have to rope the steer and restrain it until the process was complete.

Are you willing to stop and be hog tied so the Lord can burn His word onto your heart so they become the fabric of who you are?  Then it will become clearly evident who you belong to – God and His kingdom.

On the other hand, if we are frantically rushing through life and never stop to make time for God, other things will brand our lives, things that won’t identify us as belonging to God.

What branding marks do others see in you?  Does your lifestyle clearly identify you as belonging to God?

If you sense God is trying to slow you down, don’t resist.  Surrender your will, sit at His feet, mediate on His word, and let Him brand your heart.