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Yahweh’s Book Of Life

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“…another book was opened, which is the Book Of Life…” Revelation 20:12


Yahweh’s Book Of Life is not a written ledger.

His accounting isn’t comprised of columns for debits and columns for credits. There is no sum total for “Balance Paid So Far” or “Balance Still Owed.”

Which isn’t good news for those of us with a stubborn desire for independence who pride ourselves on being pay-backers:

“Make me like one of your hired hands so that I can work to pay you back what you freely gave me.”
~ says the child to the father who granted him freedom and wealth in spite of being rejected for his love and knowing the boy would squander away the gift (1)

Yahweh’s reply shows the fallacy of our ledger:

“You don’t even possess the right kind of currency to think of paying me back. Your sin pays back with death. My currency is gifts of life.” (2)

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Yahweh’s Book Of Life is not like a side-by-side picture book.

You know, the kind in which the viewer, usually a child, compares one image against another similar, but slightly different image. “Ah ha, I see that the person has three loaves of bread here, but in this other picture she only has two loaves.” The Book Of Life is not like that.

Which isn’t good news for appearance-comparers, of which my haughty pride can easily twist me into:

“On Tuesdays and Fridays I walk around with bedhead and do not wash my face. It’s a pretty clear giveaway to those around me that I am fasting, which I should point out that doing so twice a week far exceeds what low-lifes, such as extortioners, do. And on Mondays and Thursdays I spend part of the day carefully weighing, measuring, and culling out a tenth of everything I received that week. Swindlers, and there are many of them around me, certainly don’t exercise that precision.”
~ says the religious person who compares his activities of self-achieving righteousness to his perception of the stereotypical activities of others, all the while ignoring the unrighteous going-ons of his heart, mind, and mouth (3)

To the overtly religious, Yahweh’s reply is meant to make us reconsider:

“If this is how you’d prefer to be judged, then so be it. You’ll be judged the same appearance-based way. But be advised, your reward will only be recognized outside the kingdom of heaven.” (4)

∴∴∴∴∴


Yahweh’s Book Of Life is not written like a checklist.

Nor is grading on the curve even a thing at the City Of Heaven’s gate.

Which isn’t good news for us cross-it-offers who like to measure our productivity by striking things off a list:

“I can confidently say I have not committed adultery, or killed anyone, or stole anything, or lied, or dishonored my father or mother. And I haven’t done so in either my youth or my adult life. So that’s five out of the ten commandments kept for 2+ decades. A pretty impressive level of performance, don’t you think?”
~ says the rich young leader who is hoping to earn eternal life (5)

To which Jesus says our measurements are entirely wrong:

“50% is not enough. In fact, 50% is not even possible. Do you not realize that even 1% of a camel will never fit through a needle. Only with God is it possible to move the needle of salvation.” (6)

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Yahweh’s Book Of Life is not like an embarrassing collection of photos.

There are no snapshots of our worst moments frozen in perpetuity for critical eyes to see.

Which isn’t good news for the history-keepers: those who like to reminisce about the past faults of others as if they reflect their present-day condition. And are there not times when I too am guilty of focusing on the former rather than the redeemed?

“She is a sinner. Period. That is her economic, moral, and spiritual state.”
~ says the judgmental host showing total indifference to a woman who recognizes both the extent of her sinful ways in the past and the extent of God’s forgiving ways for her future (7)

The compassionate Messiah bends near and speaks with love:

“You, dear woman, are saved. You are forgiven. You are loved. You are restored. Go in peace.” (8)

So what then is Yahweh’s Book Of Life like?

∴∴∴∴∴


Yahweh’s Book Of Life is like a list of unworthy party guests.

Which is really good news for invitation-of-grace-accepters, of which I desire the humility to be one every moment of every day.

“Go into the streets and lanes of the city and bring into my banquet the poor who are never invited to banquets. Bring in the maimed who are never chosen for marriage celebrations. Bring in the blind who will not brush off my offer by saying they have new possessions or property to examine. Bring in the lame who not only cannot, but will not busy themselves with unimportant work.”
~ says the great and gracious master to his servants after he has been lied to, humiliated, and insulted by guests who offered his servants the lamest of lame excuses for not coming to his extravagant party as a way of saying they not only reject the host and his offer, but they prefer other things (9)

For in Christ, any thought of payback is an ugly insult to the One who hung. Any attempt at comparison is sinful self-advertising pride. Any desire to make it on one’s own erodes the humility needed to accept grace. Any indifference to redemption indicates a heart filled with little love.

As Kenneth Bailey writes. “The self-confidence of the self-made person crashes and dissolves like a mighty wave on a sandy shore when eternal life is at issue.” (10)

Yahweh erodes all notions of parity, voids all payback notices, dissolves all checklists, and washes all histories clean.

There is no earning forgiveness, acceptance, rightness, completeness, good-enoughness, fullness of payment, restoration, or salvation.

There is only grace.

Only grace gets you in the Book of Life.

Yahweh’s Book Of Life is an elegant record of peace-backers, mercy-seekers, cross-lovers, history-forgivers, and grace-accepters because nothing less and not one ounce more is required to dance with Yahweh in eternal life than to say, “I believe.”

  1. Based on the story of the two lost sons in Luke 15
  2. Based on Romans 6v23
  3. Based on Matthew 6v17 as well as the story of the Pharisee and tax collector in Luke 18
  4. Based on Matthew 7v1, 6v16
  5. Based on Luke 18v20-21
  6. Based on Matthew 19v23-26
  7. Based on Luke 7v39
  8. Based on Luke 7v50
  9. Based on Luke 14
  10. From Kenneth Bailey’s Book “Poet and Peasant and Through Peasant Eyes” on page 164
All text is Copyright © Nicole Clark and all photographs and videos are Copyright © Mike & Nicole Clark (full usage terms), unless otherwise stated. All Rights Reserved.

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