S167P8 – Sources of joy: his book
Lk. 10:17-20
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Andy Warhol predicted that there would come a day when everyone is famous for fifteen minutes. With the advent of the internet and then social media, it seems like that day is here. The number of people who appear then quickly disappear from our pop culture catalog increases by the minute. For some, their exposure is unintentional and may be even unwelcome. For others, they crave it and for more than fifteen minutes. Whether as a hero or a villain, they simply want to see their names at the top of that trending chart. You can strive to have your name written in lights, in the magazines, on a building or in the news feeds, but those all pale in comparison to the one place your written name matters most.
Exclusive clubs have member lists. Exclusive parties have guest lists. The kingdom of heaven is just like this. There is a book which determines who can enter. The irony is that God’s kingdom is all-inclusive in that He invites everyone to join, but most will decline because they refuse to pay the cost. God decides the way in, and it requires that we trade our lives for that of Christ. If we humble ourselves and give him a life in faith, then our names are written in the book of life. It is the one record of our names that is never erased. It is the record that keeps us from death. No other document or report carries anywhere near the weight as this single writing. It is the book that tells of the fate of each soul either by inclusion or omission.
Many in this world will exclude us because of our faith, and that is fine. We do not rejoice in the acceptance of man. We do not find our value in the world’s recognition. We can find joy as well as our security in knowing that God has recorded our names in that everlasting ledger. I never need to appear in the headlines. I never need a credit at the end of a film. I never need my name memorialized in stone. The value of those things is temporary and exists only in this world. To know that our names appear on that heavenly guest list is all that we need. Father, when the world shuns us and excludes us, remind us to rejoice in knowing that we appear in your book of life.