At the Kenya Airways check-in counter, I presented my passport for verification. When the agents searched for my name on their manifestâthe document that lists names of passengersâmy name was missing. The problem? Overbooking and lack of confirmation. My hope of reaching home that day was shattered.
The episode reminded me of another kind of manifestâthe Book of Life. In Luke 10, Jesus sent His disciples on an evangelistic mission. On their return, they happily reported their success. But Jesus told them: âDo not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heavenâ (v. 20). The focus of our joy is not merely that we are successful but that our names are inscribed in Godâs book.
But how can we be sure of that? Godâs Word tells us, âIf you declare with your mouth, âJesus is Lord,â and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be savedâ (Rom. 10:9).
In Revelation 21, John makes a breathtaking description of the Holy City that awaits those who trust Christ. Then he writes, âNothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lambâs book of lifeâ (v. 27).
The Book of Life is Godâs heavenly manifest. Is your name written in it?
Two important concepts appear in todayâs passage: Jesus is the one who gives us the authority to carry on His work on earth, and God is the one who writes our names âin heavenâ (v. 20). Notice that in both cases it is not our doing but Godâs. Salvation is a gift of Godâs grace; our part is to accept this gift.
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