Philippians 4:3 – …the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
As we read through Nehemiah, this incredibly practical book on leadership, it would be easy to skip chapter 3, thinking that it’s too boring and just reads like the Hebrew phone book. However, imagine if your name, your family, or your friend’s name was on that list. It would likely become your favorite chapter in the entire Bible.
Even better than a list of workers who helped rebuild Jerusalem is another list that Jesus keeps – the Book of Life. In Philippians 4:3, Paul mentions that those who are working alongside him have their names in the Book of Life. Several places throughout Revelation (3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 21:27) also mention the “Book of Life”. So, what is it?
The Book of Life is a book where God records every name of every person who will join Him in Heaven for all of eternity. Now that’s a list you definitely want to be on!
If you’re unsure whether your name is on that list, I’d point you to Romans 10:9: “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
It’s not about how hard we work, how many people we help, or how many times we go to church, even though those are all good things that we’ll probably want to do if we love Jesus. It’s about confession with our mouth and a relationship in our heart with the Creator of the Universe.
If you have questions about accepting Jesus or how to share your faith with others, we’d love to hear from you and help. Email our team at [email protected].
Have you accepted Jesus? If not, pray and believe God hears your prayers. If so, who can you share the hope you have with this week?