Daily devotion – backing uyp your story!
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Recently, I had an eye-opening experience. Pastor Nathanael came over to help me with some technical work that I was clueless about. While he was working on the project, he asked me about my system for backing up my studies and teaching notes. I shrugged, assuming everything was magically happening on my old Mac laptop.
I soon learned I was mistaken. Though my work was being stored, it was far from secure. If anything happened to that laptop, years of labor would disappear. To make matters worse, I had the necessary tools for backing up, but they weren’t properly connected to my computer. Thankfully, Pastor Nathanael quickly fixed the issue.
This reminded me of how perfectly Heaven handles backups. Nothing is lost, overlooked, or forgotten. God has everything recorded. Every word and deed we’ve ever spoken or done is written down.
Jesus Himself said, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36). Everything we say, even in idle moments, has been backed up in God’s eternal system.
The prophet Malachi speaks of this as well. “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name.” (Malachi 3:16).
In Revelation 20:12, this concept is brought into focus. We see that Heaven has an amazing system of record-keeping. The Book of Life contains the names of every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is a divine backup of those who belong to Him.
Then, there are other books—the ones containing the deeds of those who will be judged. These books record the lives of those who did not place their trust in Christ. Their words and works will stand as evidence against them in judgment.
The question we must all ask ourselves today is this: Is my name written in the Book of Life?
If it’s not, then all of the deeds, words, and actions of your life are being stored in those other books—books that will be used as evidence on the day of judgment. But if your name is in the Book of Life, there is no condemnation for you. Your life is backed up in Heaven, where no data will ever be lost or erased.
What story is your life backing up into Heaven today?
Take this moment to consider what’s being stored in Heaven’s records for you. Let it be a reminder to live with eternity in view, knowing that every word and action counts in God’s divine record-keeping system.
What story are you telling and is being recorded in Heaven?