Years ago in the western states cattle roamed on the open range. There were few roads and no fences. Early spring was branding time—when the calves would be marked with a brand so that anyone could tell to which ranch they belonged.
One year around this time one rancher said to the other, “You just put your brand on my calf.”
“No, we didn’t,” replied the other.
“Yes, you did,” insisted the first rancher. “The calf’s mother has my brand on it.”
Sure enough, the little calf was standing close to its mother, so there was no doubt to whom the calf belonged. They changed the brand without any further argument.
To whom do you belong? Is it Christ, or the world and Satan? The Lord Jesus died to purchase you with His own precious blood. But if you have not yet come to Him and accepted Him as your Lord and Saviour, Satan and the world will brand you. You will carry the brand-marks of sin. The Apostle Paul could say, “I bear in my body the (brand) marks of the Lord Jesus.” Galatians 6:17.
“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9.
May each one of us who believe keep close to our Saviour, so that others will know to whom we belong.
ML-06/05/1983