for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESV)

Let’s talk about that verse for a second. Many of us have heard this verse before, but when we read it in context, we learn that Paul is using this while talking about sexual sin. But I believe that the inspired words of God transcend ordinary interpretation. So, with that understanding, let me tell you about a decision I made to fulfill this command.

For a while now, I’ve been thinking of getting another tattoo. For my 30th birthday, Nikki told me that I could get it as my birthday present. By the way – I love my wife. Can I just say that? She’s awesome. But I digress.

My other ink isn’t visible normally (it’s on my back), but I was thinking about doing something that would be seen all the time. But I firmly believe in the verse we just read together, so I thought of a way I could glorify God with a tattoo. OK. Stop sign. Yes, I am fully aware of the verse in Leviticus about tattoos. But I’m also fully aware, again, of the context of that verse. This verse is about “cutting your flesh” as a demonstration of allegiance to a pagan god. I’ve not done that. ‘Nuff said. Cool? Cool.

So, back to it. Another worship pastor whom I admire, Carlos Whittaker, has an AMAZING tattoo of the conversion of Saul, and from what I’ve been told, that tattoo has actually sparked conversations that have resulted in people accepting Jesus (check out Carlos’ ink here). I’d consider that a WIN. I decided that I would come up with something original, not out of a book, and even pray about it (really? yes.). But what should I get?

I decided to draw up something based on one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture:

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. – 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

First off, isn’t it cool that the two verses we’ve seen are both from the same letter, written by the same guy, to the same church? Now, I didn’t just want the scripture itself as a tattoo – I wanted a graphical representation, still done through text. I played with a few designs in Photoshop, and finally came up with what I considered to be just what I was going for – a graphical representation of that verse through text of different sizes and types. So I e-mailed the design to a highly-recommended artist, and last night, made it happen.

Did it hurt? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Do I still love Jesus? Yes. Will I now be removed from the staff at Vertical Church? No.

Check out these pics, taken by my lovely wife (who I believe was secretly snickering at the pain I was enduring):

I have to thank my awesome tattoo artist, “Big Rob,” at The Chop Shop in Hope Mills, NC. Dude did an amazing job. Highly recommend him.

Hear me on this: Getting a tattoo is not for everyone. But, glorifying God with your body is for everyone. So, how are you glorifying God?

All glory to You, Jesus. AMEN.