Is Your Name Written In Heaven? - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 28, 2025

When Jesus walked the earth, He trained disciples to share His word wherever they were sent. He empowered them to cast out demons, heal the sick, cure diseases and tell everyone that the Kingdom of God was upon them (Luke 9:1-2). Luke 10 tells us He sent out 72 disciples and when they returned, they rejoiced, telling Him that demons submitted to them at the very mention of His name. Instead of joining them in their jubilation, Jesus corrected them. Luke 10:20 - However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

If I had been one of those disciples who'd seen the power of God flowing as they did, I too would have been overjoyed to know that I was capable of doing such in Jesus's name. And yet, we know that was not what the Savior wanted. He wanted them to not focus on the power but on what that power represents - that God had deemed them worthy to be included on a list in heaven.

Just as those disciples needed to refocus, so do we. If we truly believe in Jesus and are His disciple today, we need to ask ourselves, are our names written on heavenly lists?

The answer to this question is only known to God. Nevertheless, because of His revealed nature and word, we know He wants us to be on those lists. The people on these lists enjoy certain privileges that other do not. For instance, when they proclaim His Son's name into any situation, the devil and its demons must fall back. All the power of the Almighty backs up such individuals. No matter the circumstances, He will show up to favor them.

God said as much in Malachi 3. There, He'd spoken to His remnant in Jerusalem and instructed them to stop withholding their tithes and offering. Those who feared the Lord gathered and agreed to change. These people pleased Him so He ordered the angels to write a scroll of rememberance with their names on it (Malachi 3:16). Malachi 3:17-18 - “They will be Mine,” says the LORD of Hosts, “on the day when I prepare My treasured possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. So you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.”

And we should want to move in that reality because that is what God desires for us. Hebrews 11:6 states that He is a rewarder of them who eagerly seek Him. When we do this, our names get added to heavenly lists. This goes beyond saying we are Christians. It is about being a Christian in every facet of our lives. We must therefore voraciously consume His word, fervently stand in the gap for others, give Him our worship, fast per Isaiah 58, and listen to the Holy Spirit as He changes us to become more rooted in Christ.

Therefore, let us pray to be a vessel through whom the gifts and the power of God flow for His glory. And as we do so, we shall cry out to Him to make us the sort of person whose names are in the books of heaven. Today, we shall ask God to show us how to become those whose eternal spirits will reside forever with Him. We shall allow Him to teach us how to live, yield to His direction, obey His commands, and be ever mindful that this world is not our home. The lists of this world are inconsequential. Heaven is all that matters.

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