Your names are written down

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. – Luke 10.20

Jesus sent the disciples off on a short term missions blitz. They were to keep moving and it a town would not receive them they were to move on to another. God gave them special signs and wonders to confirm their authority. They were given power over illness and demons. It was powerful trip.

But Jesus said it was not that special authority that they were to rejoice in. The greatest cause of joy is not in what we do or don’t do or achieve or fail to achieve but the basic fact that our names are written down in heaven.

No matter what happens here or how bad it gets we can trust that when it is all said and done we can have confidence our eternity is secure. We are already registered in heaven. Our reservations are made. We are on the books.

So in the meantime we plug away and stay faithful. We can rejoice because everything here is temporary and everything there is eternal.