What Will be Written of You?

Romans chapter 16

     In this chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans, the names of thirty-three Christians are mentioned for the various ways they've worked for the Body of Christ. One was a "great help to many people." Two risked their lives for Paul. Epenetus is listed as the first convert to Christianity in Asia. Andronias and Junias were in prison for their faith. There's Mary who "worked very hard." Appeles was "tested and approved in Christ." Rufus' mother had been like a mother to Paul, too. Tertius wrote the words in the letter for Paul, as a secretary. Gaius was noted for his hospitality.

     My name is not written in the Bible, but it is engraved on God's palms! (see Isaiah 49:16) It is also written in the Book of Life:

     "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." Revelation 3:5

     As a Christian, what talents or abilities, what good works for Jesus, will be written next to my name? Will I be remembered for my hospitality or being like a mother to others? Would I risk my life or suffer imprisonment?

     What I do each day pens my life's story, one word at a time.

     What will be written of me today?

Like Going Back Home

"...you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth, even to your old age and gray hairs. I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."
Isaiah 46: 3 & 4

     After I became an adult and lived on my own, I missed mom's homecooked meals. If I became sick, I no longer had that compassionate attention I once did. Maybe that's why going home for Thanksgiving feels so special. It harkens back to those unique childhood feelings.

     We never have to move out of God's house. He sustains us and carries us from conception to old age and beyond, ever coming to our rescue! It's such a comfort to know the same One who made me, sustains me all along the way.

A Child Never Forgotten

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."
Isaiah 49: 15 & 16

     It was the most difficult book I ever read. A Child Called It was difficult because it's about a boy who was so unloved by his mother, so ghastly abused, neglected and mistreated, that she no longer called him by name. She called him It.

     Praise and thanks be to God that He is not like that. He loves us more fervently and tenderly than our mothers. He is slow to anger, rich in  mercy and abounding in love.

     Your name is tattooed on the palms of his pierced hands! Love him right back and you will never, ever be sorry. He will never forget you, even if your parents have.

Know Where You're Going

"Then Jesus told them, 'You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.'"
John 12:35

     I like to watch the ants, wondering about their hard-working lives, what their underground homes look like and what propels them. I saw one crawling alone across my vast patio; where was he going? How does he know the way? As far as I know, there are no ant cartographers around drawing maps, making signs.  Finally, I surmised that God gave him a built-in GPS. He tells the ant which way to go.

     How refreshingly wonderful it is each day for me to know where I'm headed. I don't mean this in a literal sense, because, to be honest, sometimes it's not so wonderful to be headed to work. As a Christian, I do not have to stumble in the darkness without plan or purpose. Each night, God tucks me in and watches over me during his sleepless night. By day, I walk in the footsteps of Christ, the Light of the world. The end of the journey is heaven, a glorious place where there is no need of sun or moon. The Lamb is its lamp. (Revelation 21:23)

     Isaiah 60:20 says: "Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end."

The Proper Perspective

"On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, 'This is the voice of a god, not of a man.' Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten my worms and died."
Acts 12: 21-23

     Keep the proper perspective. Don't let your ego get so big that it overshadows your Creator. God desires a humble heart.

     Satan once thought he'd like to be larger than God: he would like to be praised and worshipped. Because of that, he, who once was an angel, was cast out of heaven.

     Don't be swayed by the adulation of others. Even Herod's royal robes and throne were not enough to help him when God struck him down. He lost his perspective.

     Isaiah 14: 13-15 says:  "You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."

A Living Letter

"You show that you are a letter from Christ...writen not wiht ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on ablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
2 Corinthians 3:3

     Next to this passage, the sidebar of my Bible says, "Believers are living epistles." My Christian life is an open book that sells more copies than I realize because impressionable folks are reading what God is writing on me.

     What do I want others to see? My snarly side that rears up when selfishness reigns? How many pages would have me portrayed as being kind, loving, forgiving, courageous or compassionate?

     Jesus, I must close the book on my old self and allow your Spirit free license to author my biography. Amen.

How Shall I Dress?

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Colossians 3: 17

     As a believer, how should I dress before leaving the house? Colossians chapter three lists a selection of garments: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (verse 12)  Wearing these helps me to bear with others in forgiveness, just as God forgave me. How did he forgive me? By chucking my iniquities into the deep, deep sea. Therefore, I have no right to hold a grudge against anyone. It'd be like accessorizing my outfit with a purse of dripping, stinking mud. My overcoat is to be love (verse 14) because it covers over a multitude of sins. If I truly love others, their faults I no longer see.

     Once dressed, I am to let the peace of Christ rule my heart, consume his Holy Word daily and raise my voice in songs of thankfulness. (verses 15 & 16)

     Doing this each day will enable me to do ALL in the name of Jesus. I will be a well dressed woman, with the help of God.