Saturday Devotion and Prayer. July 1, 2023
“Remember Who We Belong To”
“And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.” Philippians 4:3
God sees us in the proverbial back corner amongst all the other people the world neglects and rejects, lovingly calling us His own. Adopted into the family of God, we get to do life on earth for His glory. Rescued, redeemed, and given a purpose, He cherishes us. He can remember the days of our lives with much more prominence than I can recall the memories around my family table.
In the verse above, Paul recognizes faithful saints who spread the gospel’s good news with the days of their lives. He presents them as an example of how to live in pursuit of Christ. “Paul calls for reconciliation, joyful faith, and disciplined thinking,” the ESV Global Study Bible notes, “the book of life refers to God’s record of those who belong to him.” It’s the everyday moments of our lives that mean the most. The times we could have changed the subject but chose to talk about Jesus. The people we invited, even though others wouldn’t welcome them. The celebrations, laughter, and love are written on the pages of our days. Those are things God cares about the roots of His love propel the action of our lives. And when our Savior is the center of our universe, our names are written in the Book of Life.
“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
Eyes fixed on Jesus, we can anticipate the end of suffering in this life and embrace the hope of eternity. Fixed on Jesus, the Author, and Perfector of our faith, He protects us from distraction and derailment. We live with the pains of this world daily, but that doesn’t have the power to steal the joy and hope we have in Christ.
Heavenly Father,
Let our lives be centered around You, God. We want the days of our lives to be littered with the love of Jesus we have walked out on this earth. Thank you for seeing us for who we are and guiding us faithfully through this life.
God, You proclaim authority over all creation, including us, determining who belongs to You. Sometimes, we are too concerned over the faithfulness of those around us. Our responsibility as Christians is to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and love those around us obediently, leaving judgment in the hands of God. Help us to embrace and cherish the memories we accumulate in this life and let them all be rooted in Your great love.
Thank You for writing our names in the Book of Life. You are the center of our universe, God. Our joy comes from obediently living out and telling others the Gospel truth the truth we are loved, rescued, and redeemed in Christ Jesus. Keep our eyes fixed on You. In Your son Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.
