A Badge Of Honor

A Badge of Honor

They bear the scars of Jesus,

They bear Christ’s holy scars,

They wear them on their bodies 

And in their suffering hearts.

They suffer for Christ’s glory,

They share His holy pain,

His scars their badge of honor

Though others call it shame...

In their humble weakness 

Christ displays His strength;

In them He rises yet alive

Through His almighty grace.

The sick and suffering, poor, oppressed

Bring glory to the Lord,

When they praise Him in their pain

Despite their vicious storms...

They bear the scars of Jesus,

They bear His holy scars,

They’ll become a crown of gold 

He’ll place upon their heart...

Someday He will look at them,

He’ll look at them and say,

“Well done my little one 

You honored Me each day,

With the life I gave to you

To worship Me and praise;

Now come live in Paradise 

And be with Me always,

In Jesus’ name, amen.

(Prayer Poem) All Glory To God, Copyright © 2020, Suzanne Davis Harden,  All Rights Reserved.  

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Scriptures for Meditation

“ “On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus...” ~ Galatians‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭CEV‬‬

“God's Spirit makes us sure that we are His children.

 His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ 

we will be given what God has promised. 

We will also share in the glory of Christ, 

because we have suffered with Him.

 I am sure what we are suffering now 

cannot compare with the glory 

that will be shown to us.” 

~ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:16-18‬ ‭CEV‬‬

“For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake, 

not only to believe and confidently trust in Him,

 but also to suffer for His sake, 

[and so you are] experiencing the same [kind of] conflict 

which you saw me endure, 

and which you hear to be mine now.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:29-30‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“...but Christ has said to me, 

“My grace is sufficient for you

 [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—

always available—regardless of the situation]; 

for [My] power is being perfected 

[and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 

Therefore, I will all the more gladly 

boast in my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ 

[may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, 

with insults, with distresses, 

with persecutions, 

and with difficulties, 

for the sake of Christ; 

for when I am weak [in human strength], 

then I am strong 

[truly able, truly powerful,

 truly drawing from God’s strength].”

‭‭~2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Unto The Least Of These, All Glory to God, Copyright © 2020 by Suzanne Davis Harden, All rights reserved.
Original Prayer Poem, “Badge of Honor,” Original Scripture Paintings, May Christ be Honored, Copyright © 2020, by Suzanne Davis Harden, All rights reserved.Scripture quotations: CEV Bible (Contemporary English Version Bible) Second Edition) Copyright © 2006 American Bible Society, All rights reserved. /AMP (Amplified Bible) Copyright © 2015 by the Lockman Foundation, All rights reserved.

Rejoice In The Lord Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice." Philippians 4:4

St. Paul wrote those words even though he had a terrible affliction of some sort he called "a thorn in his flesh." 

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he wrote: "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

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. 

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."

Paul was beaten, stoned, persecuted, imprisoned, and suffered much abuse for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always..."

What does that word "rejoice" mean? 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines it:

χαίρω khah'-ee-ro

Definition: to be "cheer"ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well

Usage:  be glad, God speed, greeting joy(- fully), rejoice.

Paul is saying, "Don't despair! Don't be discouraged! Instead, choose to be happy, choose to rejoice. To rejoice in spite of our discouragements, trials, and sufferings is a choice we can make. 

The apostle James told us to rejoice despite our circumstances. 

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Instead of being discouraged by our challenges, we need to focus on our blessings. There is always something we can be thankful for. 

It is good to keep in mind that no matter how much we are suffering, there is always someone somewhere who is suffering far more than we are, and we should pray for that person. 

The prophet Jeremiah saw terrible tragedy all around him. Yet he wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23: 

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Gratitude is a wonderful antidote for discouragement and will bring the blessing of joy into our hearts. 

Starting today may it be our choice to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may You help us choose to rejoice always in You and to be grateful for all the ways You have blessed us and been so faithful to us throughout our lives. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

"Rejoice in The Lord Always"© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.  Scripture References King James Bible, Strong's Bible Dictionary, NIV Bible Translation © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

You Are Never Alone

Christ Prays For Us" © Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

                  ~Romans 8:35-39 (NLT)

"Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? 

Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, 

or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 

As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; 

we are being slaughtered like sheep.” 

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, 

who loved us. 

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. 

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, 

neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—

not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 

No power in the sky above or in the earth below—

indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us 

from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

During the Middle Ages, pious Christians believed that if your life was beset with afflictions and trials it was a sign of God's great favor.

The New Testament mentions suffering at least 33 times. The apostle James wrote, 

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." (James 1:2-4 NLT)

St. Peter wrote, "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world." 

~ 1 Peter 4:12-13 (NLT)

Sometimes when we are facing difficult circumstances or any sort of trial, we may feel all alone, as if we have been abandoned by God or that He does not love us as much as He loves others.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ Himself cried out in His pain on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:45)

Pain has a way of isolating us, whether it be physical, emotional or spiritual pain, it makes no difference. It makes us feel alone and abandoned. 

However, God assures us in His word in Psalm 139 that we are never alone, that He is ever present with us. 

He promises us that He will never forget us in this beautiful verse from Isaiah:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,

And not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget,Yet I will not forget you."

 (Isaiah 49:14-15) NKJV

We also have the comforting assurance that even if no one else is praying for us on our journey, there is One up in Heaven who is always praying for us, night and day. 

He knows each one of us intimately for He created us, He knows our every need and all of our hopes and longings. 

His prayers that He prays for us are always answered. He will never give up on us. 

No one else may know my name, but Jesus Christ, our Heavenly High Priest, knows me. 

He loves each of us so much, that He has engraved a picture of us on the Palm of His hand. 

"See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me."(Isaiah 49:16) NKJV

He cannot, nor will He ever forget about us. 

We may imagine that He has forgotten us sometimes but God's word assures us that the One who is praying for us night and day is always thinking about us. 

"I am poor and weak, yet the Lord is thinking about me right now!" ~(Psalm 40:17 ERV)

The Psalmist wrote, "How precious it is, Lord, to realize that You are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day Your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, You are still thinking of me!" (Psalm 139:17-18 TLB)

The One who "ever lives to make intercession" for us is constantly thinking about us, praying for all of our needs. 

He is at the right hand of His Heavenly Father, the Bible says, pleading for us.

And nothing will ever be able to separate us from His immeasurable love toward us. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving everything to us when You gave us Your Son Jesus Christ to be our sacrifice to redeem our souls from the penalty of sin and death. Thank You that Thy word promises that Jesus is our High Priest forever and able to "save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV)

Thank You for such wonderful promises from Thy word. 

Father God, we love You and praise You for forgiving our sins and for giving us eternal life in Christ, in Jesus' name. Amen. 

"Christ Prays For Us" ~ 5" inch x 7" inch, Double-Matted Fine Art Print. Copyright © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

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Unto The Least Of These, © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Scripture Verses New King James Version Bible © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. 

(ERV)Easy To Read Version © 2006 World Bible Translation Center

(TLB) Today's Living Bible © 1971 Tyndale House Publishers 

(NLT) Holy Bible New Living Translation © 2013  Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.