The annual Cowboy Church happened again here in August.  As usual it was a fun evening out at the Clark Ranch in Arroyo Grande. Here is an excerpt from the evening devotion given by Stan Willems.

Unbranded

Right now it is calving season on the Grieb Ranch

“Not too long from now we’ll be using a branding iron to brand our fall calves.  We’ve been looking out for these calves for some time, in anticipation of this coming gather.  Now these calves have no clue just how much care has gone into them just to get to this point.  We’ve watched over their moms and watched for any possible problems leading up to and through calving time.  In truth, we’ve been looking after these little critters from before they were born.

Now this brand means a lot.  It’s a permanent mark of just who these animals belong to.  It’s actually a record of legal ownership.  This brand on a calf means we’re going to watch out after this animal.  If is happens to get sick or injured, we’ll do whatever we can to make it better.  If it happens to stray off the ranch, through some gap in the fence, we’ll find it and bring it home.  We’ll make sure the little critters are well-fed and have all the water and grass they need to grow up big and strong.

In the same way, if we find an animal on the ranch without our brand, it means it belongs somewhere else;  and so it’s put back through the fence outside where it belongs.  I’m not trying to be mean or anything, but the unbranded are kicked off the ranch. I like cows, they’re just not all mine to keep. An unbranded range animal, especially a motherless calf, is a maverick.

Now you might be wondering at this point just what all this is about.  We’ here it is.  In the Bible, Eph. 1:13 says this: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”  As a believer in Jesus, I’m looking forward to being rounded up and taken to God’s ranch.  I know that has been His desire from the beginning.  Check out what Jesus say in John 3:16, John 10:10.  So why doesn’t everybody have this full and abundant life?  It’s because we’ve all gone maverick.  Romans 3:23 puts it this way, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”  We’ve all been born unbranded.  Without that spiritual brand, no one can enter God’s ranch of Life.  We were all born unbranded, outside the fence, separated from God.  But God doesn’t want us to be unbranded mavericks.”

Also read Romans 5:8, I Corinthians 15:3, 4, John 14:6

We can receive the brand by placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.  Read John 1:12 , Acts 16:31 and Eph 2:8,9

Have you placed your faith in Jesus?  Do you wear heaven’s brand?