Tag Archives: written in your book

GOD’S LIBRARY

Christian Life, ,

The Bible is a library of books with one author, the Holy Spirit, and one theme, the story of God and people. The Bible is  a miracle of unity although it was written by more than forty people over more than 2000 years. It’s the only book in the world that is indestructible, despite every human effort to wipe it out; universal…its characters include everyone who has ever lived and will live; and is powerful enough to affect the destiny of every person who reads it.

The Bible bears testimony to itself, that it is the very word of God, infallible in its message, divine in its authorship, and eternal in its duration.

There is no other book on earth like the Bible. People either love it, believe it, and experience eternal life through its message, or they hate it, fear it, run from it, or even  try to discredit it by ridiculing, denying, or twisting its message.

The Bible is divinely protected, divinely inspired, and divinely empowered to transform the lives of all who read and believe the one who wrote it.

The Bible is God’s gift to all people on earth.

However, the Bible also speaks of heavenly books which record the names and biographies of every person from the beginning of time, and books that record each person’s destiny.

Let’s examine a few of these books.

Psalms 139:16 NIV
[16] “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

God’s record of our lives was written even before we lived. That’s amazing! How can anyone write a biography before the main character was even born? So astonishing is God’s omniscience that He has done that! His “library” contains the life story of everyone who has lived on earth, even those who have never seen the light of day.

What would God say to those who have snuffed out the lives of their unborn babies for the sake of convenience? What happened to their story?

Then there is the book of life. What is this “book of life”?

“Revelation 20:15 declares, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” The Book of Life, in this context, is the set of names of those who will live with God forever in heaven. It is the roll of those who are saved. This Book of Life is also mentioned in Revelation 3:5; 20:12; and Philippians 4:3. The same book is also called the Lamb’s Book of Life because it contains the names of those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus (Revelation 13:8; 21:27).

“God keeps good records. He knows His own, and He has set the names of His children permanently in His book.”
(https://www.gotquestions.org – article “What is the Book of Life?”)

Moses refers to God’s “book” in his plea on behalf of Israel. He was willing to forfeit his own place in heaven for the sake of his wayward people. God refused his request. Everyone must take responsibility for his/her own life. He said.

Exodus 32:32-33 NIV
[32] “But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” [33] The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.”

Is it possible to have one’s name erased from God’s book, blotting out the record of one’s life forever because of persistent sin?

Revelation 20:11-12, 15 NIV
[11] Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. [12] And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books….
[15]”Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

God assures us that the names of those who persevere in faith and obedience will never be erased from His book. On judgement day, their names will be found written in the book of life.

Revelation 3:5 NIV
[5] “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.”

Are there other books in God’s library?

Revelation 20:12-13 NIV
[12]”And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened….”

We don’t know what is written in these books. Let’s look a bit deeper.

What does God record in these books?

Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees…

Matthew 12:34-37 NIV
[34]”You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. [35] A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. [36] But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. [37] For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

What did the Pharisees say?

Matthew 12:24 NIV
[24]”But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

It’s all becoming clear.  According to Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
[9]”The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

According to Jesus…

Luke 6:45 NIV
[45] “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

…which means that God’s books record everything we have said!

Our spoken words betray our hidden hearts, it’s up to us to put into our hearts what is good, true, and wholesome.

How can we change what is concealed in our hearts?

Philippians 4:8-9 NLT
[8]” And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. [9] Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Romans 12:2 NLT
[2]” Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

How can we ensure that our names will be in the Lamb’s book of life?

It seems that the names of every human being has been  written in God’s books before time began. Only persistent unbelief and the sinful lives which are the fruit of unbelief will obliterate those names from God’s books. Cut off from God in hell, it will be as though they never existed.

Only persistent faith in Jesus and perseverence in obedience and holiness, which God guarantees to those who have been supernaturally born into His kingdom, will ensure that our names are never erased from God’s books.

Adherence to the truths written in God’s book on earth will ensure that my name is indelibly recorded in God’s books in heaven.

THE THREE PHASES OF LIFE

Christian Life, ,

THE THREE PHASES OF LIFE

Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. Psalms 139:16

Every human being lives life in three phases; nine months in the safety of a mother’s womb, a lifespan of years from birth to death, and an eternity of experiencing what started in phase one and two.

Phase one is a passive phase which begins the process of fulfilling God’s dream for every person born into the world. No-one chooses his parents or who he will be. He simply grows, in a protected environment, from a single cell to a complex human being with all the potential of adulthood packed into a tiny human form. The process of birth catapults us into the greatest challenge of all, living and learning from birth to death.

Phase two is the all-important time when we grow, learn, and choose the values that will shape us as we journey through life. We are not passengers in this phase; rather, we are apprentices, learning, practising, and preparing for the greatest adventure of all – the unknown hereafter when we will become what we are now learning to be.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

For those of us who have believed God’s Word and dared to entrust ourselves to Jesus, phase three is the promise of a life of perfection and peace in the presence of God, where we will live and reign with Him forever.

The second phase is all-important because what we do and become in our lifetime on earth will determine our role in eternity. Jesus gave us one simple instruction to help us to live wisely and serve our apprenticeship well; “Follow me.”

Firstly, He was a Son and He has given us the honour of becoming sons of God. “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Galatians 4:6, NIV). As a Son, Jesus lived in intimacy and perfect obedience to His Father. So must we.

Secondly, He was a servant, and we are also called to be servants. “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve…” (Matthew 20:28, NIV).

Thirdly, Jesus came to reveal the Father and so must we. ”Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9b, NIV). Therefore, the Apostle Paul could say, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us…” (Ephesians 5:1, 2, NIV).

Another qualification Jesus gave us is one we would not expect – how we steward our possessions. “If you are not trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?” (Luke 16:11, NIV).

The question we must ask ourselves during this second phase of our existence is, “Am I on track in my preparation for stage three?“ The way we manage what God has entrusted to us now will be the measure of our trustworthiness in the life to come. Our faithfulness to the tasks in hand will govern our position in the live to come

For the rest, who ignore this crucial phase of their existence and live it up as they choose, Jesus said they are destined for the eternal trash heap where the fire never goes out.

“…hell, 48 where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
and the fire is not quenched.’ Mark 9:47-48

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Bottom of Form

DAY FIVE – PSALM 139

Devotion, ,

DAY FIVE

“All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.”

Psalm 139:16b

COMMENT

Even though God has written every day that you will live in a special book He keeps just for you, you are not a puppet that He manipulates with a string.  Because God is eternal, He can see everything in the future as though it had already happened. He has planned your whole life for you and he wants you to follow that plan because it’s a good plan.  “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11. Just think of that!  Every entry in God’s book is about your doing good things and being blessed by the Lord.  Do you want those good plans to come about in your life?

PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING

The best way to bring all God’s good plans to pass is by releasing your faith in Him through thanksgiving.  When you thank Him and praise Him for what He has planned for you, He knows that you trust Him to bring about the very best for you, even though you don’t always see the way ahead.  Thanksgiving is the language of faith.