LUKE 18:33
"And having flogged Him, they will kill Him; and on the third day He will rise again."
I am Christian's back. I have been created to house the spine, the backbone. In me is the source of life: blood is created within these bones. The blood is life. Without blood there is no life. And the sweetest blood flowed from the back of The only begotten Son of God, Who shed His blood on Calvary to atone for the sins of the world. This blood ran down His back from the whiplash marks across it. This blood streamed from His head where the thorns pierced it. This blood stained the rugged cross to which He was nailed. This blood dripped onto the ground and into the hearts of every believer who came to the cross and saw Jesus. Including mine. I am Christian and this blood covers me.
On my back are the wounds and scars of the suffering I have endured. The sound of the whip hitting flesh is torture itself. I will not give in. Jesus' Name escapes my lips and I in Him I have strength to endure. As the apostle stated, "My life is not my own" -- Acts 20:24. I belong to Christ and Christ is not only with me, but in me. We take the whip together. We suffer together. In Christ I am His own.
As Christ's blood flowed from His body on the cross at Calvary, so, too, do I give my life in service to the gospel of salvation. I surrender all I am and have because I love Him so. God has given me breath and with my breath I will praise His glorious Name. God has given me life and it is only fitting and reasonable that I give my life back to Him -- Romans 12:1-8. And let Him use this life I have been given for His purpose according to His will and His Word.
My back is attached to my neck which holds my head up. Though my shoulders are bent from the burdens I have carried through the years, my head remains up. For Christ Jesus is the head of His body -- Ephesians 5:23, 1 Corinthians 11:3. Whose head sits on your shoulders? Your own, of course. Why would you expect it to be different with the body of Christ?
I am Christian's back. In me is the Strength of God's Word. Which I do, indeed, need for I have been called to suffer for The Name of Christ. May I fulfill the purpose for which God has created me with honor and faithfulness.
WITHHOLDING NOTHING - William McDowell
