“The Spirit convinces your spirit of this truth: your destiny is in the hands of a loving Father. Your name is not written in God’s book with a pencil. He does not hover an eraser above your entry, just waiting for an excuse to remove it. . . . He is a good Father, who has recorded your name in the Book of Life with the blood of the Lamb.”- Max Lucado
“Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”- Galatians 4:6-7 (NIV)
Max Lucado concludes Chapter 5 of Help is Here with a discussion about the special significance of adoption to the audience of the apostle Paul. Because, by Roman law, an adopted son:
- lost all relationship to his old family; but he gained all rights to his new family
- because heir to his father’s estate
- received forgiveness of all prior debts
- was, in the eyes of the law, the son of his new father
Hence, Pastor Lucado underscores, the Holy Spirit urges you to listen as He affirms in your spirit that you’re a child of God. Most significantly, this security carries great importance. The assurance of your adoption by the Father and sealing by the Spirit carries great power.
Furthermore, Max exhorts:
“God loves you with a perfect love; perfect knowledge of your past mistakes, perfect knowledge of your future missteps, and yet, is perfectly willing to love you despite both. He is committed to getting you home safely.”
In conclusion, Pastor Lucado observes, Nic Brown knows the value of such assurance. At the age of thirty-eight, this healthy father of two girls contracted Covid-19. The Cleveland Clinic placed Nic on full life support.
However, Nic’s care team pressed on. They promised to get him home. Little by little his body began to combat the virus. Gradually, he recovered. And just as Nic’s care team kept their promise to him, the Holy Spirit keeps His promise to you.
Today’s question: What does it mean to you that God wrote your name in the Book of Life with the blood of the Lamb? Not a pencil. Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Surest antidote to trepidation”
