“All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.” (Revelation 3:5, NLT)
Nearly all golf clubs display their trophies on a wall or in a glass case. If you are a competitor, I am sure you would not mind having your name on a trophy or plaque at your club. Some golf clubs I have visited feature beautiful lists of current and past club champions. I’ve even recognized a name or two.
You are in places at your club that no pastor has the access to. But you do!I visited a Links Fellowship recently and this prestigious club has hallways of trophies, including winners of major championships the club has held. They also featured golf balls signed by Presidents of the United States of America who have played their golf course. It was pretty special.
It’s very nice to have your name on a trophy, but when I think of today’s passage in the book of Revelation, I know of something I want so much more.
Our partner Ray Carrasco, who has his name on a few professional trophies, said his mom would ask her friends and Ray’s friends a very simple question: “Is your name in the Book of Life?” Many of them would ask what she meant, which gave her an opportunity to share the good news of Jesus.
And it is good news! John’s record of Jesus’ words in Revelation affirms victory and everlasting life. Jesus will say we are his!
You might ask the same question Ray’s mom first asked, “How do I get my name in the Book of Life?” If you already know, you may ask your own friends, as she did, if their names are there.
The 18th Century commentator Matthew Henry made a powerful comparison in considering this passage. He wrote:
(People) may be enrolled in the registers of the church, as baptized, as making a profession, as having a name to live, and that name may come to be blotted out of the roll, when it appears that it was but a name, a name to live, without spiritual life… But the names of those that overcome shall never be blotted out. Christ will produce this book of life, and confess the names of the faithful who stand there, before God, and all the angels; he will do this as their Judge, when the books shall be opened; he will do this as their captain and head, leading them with him triumphantly to heaven, presenting them to the Father: Behold me, and the children that thou hast given me. How great will this honor and reward be!
I love that Jesus will be presenting us to his Father. It’s a promise I want so many others to experience. I am reminded this season, when extra opportunities frequently come our way, that you are in places at your club that no pastor has the access to. But you do! I encourage you to use these opportunities to create life-changing conversations that introduce others to Jesus.
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Dereck Wong
December 6, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.