ON THE LIST

One List

Tracie Miles

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5 (KJV)

Devotion:

A crowd of girls were frantically searching the list, squealing with happiness when they found their name on the new team roster. It was a happy scene, but one which abruptly ended. One girl was left standing, peering through the names on the list over and over, but her name could not be found. No matter how badly she wanted to be on the team, and despite all her hard work, her name was not on the list. The scene quickly turned to one of sorrow, as sympathetic hugs and tears were offered from the same girls who were jumping with joy just minutes before. One list… many names… one name missing.

Seeing the hurt and pain of this young girl brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but no words seemed sufficient. I remembered how painful it was to want something so desperately, but know that I had no power to change the outcome. God spoke to my heart in the midst of that scene, and I began thinking about all the people whose lives had come to an end, who had stood face to face before the Almighty God as he flipped through the book of life, only to realize that their name was not on the list. They may have tried to remind the Father of all the hard work they had done, all the good deeds they had performed, all the people they had helped. They desperately yearned to walk through the pearly gates, but no longer had the power to change the outcome. Their window of opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as the One and only Savior had passed. One list… many names… one name missing.

Revelation 20:15 says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” This verse is not meant to scare people into accepting Jesus, but instead to share two very important facts: First, we must recognize our need for Jesus today. Life is full of joy and happiness; hurt and pain; disappointments and fear. We need a heavenly Father to hold our hand, guide us down the right paths, and comfort us when we are hurting. Second, knowing that life is short and unpredictable, God wants us to understand that Jesus is the only way into heaven. Once our earthly life is over, we will each be faced with the consequences of our earthly decisions, and at that time, we will have no power to change the outcome.

But today, you still have the power to decide where your soul will spend eternity. Today is your window of opportunity to accept Jesus into your heart, and praise Him for who He is. Today could be the day that the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you, and your heart is forever changed. Today could be the day that you not only gain eternal life with Jesus, but a joyful and fulfilling life on earth through the grace and love of Christ. Today could be the day that your name is forever written into the holy pages of the book of life. One list… many names… and when your time comes, you could be assured that the Father would see your name.

If you know Jesus as your Savior today, your name is already recorded in the book of life. But is your friend’s name there? Your co-worker? Boss? Mother-in-law? Sister? Mother? Husband? Enemy? Would God find their names in the book of life if they were to come face to face with Him today? Jesus can provide the courage you need to reach out to them. Will it be easy? No. Will it be worth it? Absolutely! You could be the one God wants to work through to lead them into the arms of Jesus. You could be the one to rejoice with them as their names are written in the book of life by the holy Hand that gives life. One list … many names … is one name missing?

Dear Lord, I praise you for who You are, and for the sacrifice you made so that my name could be on the list for eternal life with You. Open my eyes to recognize the people in my life who need to find You, and how I can point them to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

from Proverbs31.org devotion