The Stripes that Healed You!

Behind closed doors you see the wounds that forgave you and the stripes that healed you!  John 20:20 Then he showed them the wounds of his hands and his side—they were overjoyed to see the Lord with their own eyes! He showed them His wounds. He showed them His side where He was pierced. But wait, Jesus was not showcasing His wounds as to say, “Can you believe what they did to Me?” “Have pity on Me!” “I can’t believe I went through this.” I should start a hashtag movement, “#nomorecrosses!” No! Quit the contrary! He showed His wounds and His pierced side to confirm it was Him. Simply stated, Jesus was not showing what they did to Him, Jesus was showing what He did for US! He was not just showing His wounds and stripes, more importantly He was showing the disciples their forgiveness and your healing! When I see the wounds of Jesus, I see my forgiveness. When I see the stripes of Jesus, I see my healing. “But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds”. Isaiah 53:5 “He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we would be dead to sin and live for righteousness. Our instant healing flowed from his wounding.” 1 Peter 2:24 You are forgiven to forgive. You are healed to heal! In other words, they tried everything and yet HERE I AM! I dare you to say, ”They tried everything but HERE I AM!” I was wounded, yet here I am! I was pierced, yet here I am! And if I did it, YOU CAN DO IT! Don’t let the wounds stop you. Don’t let the piercing stand in your way! Oh, and for those that may be thinking- should we show off our wounds? Should we show people our pierced sides? Here is the answer: Jesus paid the price so you can show something else. Christ showed His wounds so we can show our healing. Christ showed His piercing so we can show our peace. Instead of saying, “Look what my ex did to me”, open your mouth and declare “Look what my Lord did for me!” Stop subsidizing the devil’s marketing budget. Look what the Lord has done! Look what the Lord has done! I dare you to open up your mouth and say, ”I am forgiven and I am healed!” Let’s Go Change the World! Samuel Rodriguez