The Registry

I found myself recently strolling through Buy Buy Baby with a gift registry in my hand.  At some point in time some dear friends walked into the store, went down each aisle, and lovingly selected exactly what they wanted for their upcoming bundle of joy.   I’ll save you the blow-by-blow of how I searched high and low for exactly the right nipple; how I combed through every bib imaginable to find the one with the little yellow bees; and how I wanted to slam my head into the wall while searching for no-skid, roll-down, ivory socks for a 0-6 month old.  (Can we discuss for a moment why those things even exist?  Is there some super baby that has been able to walk at 6 months and slipped because the socks didn’t have grippers on them.  I mean….come ON!!!)

Anyway….

Did you know that God has a registry too?  It is called The Book of Life (Rev. 13:8).  John MacArthur describes this book as “the registry in which God inscribed the names of those chosen for salvation before the foundation of the world.”

Let’s think through that for a minute.

Before God decided to make the world He sat down and wrote a list.  The list contains names of individuals.  These individuals span the ages from the beginning of the earth until the end.  They are the ones He chose.  He selected them from every person that would exist through the entirety of history.

Many have walked this earth.
Some walk it today.
Only God know how many more are to come.

The thought that somewhere in Heaven there is a book so ancient it existed before time is pretty staggering.  But to think that my name is written in that very book makes me want to fall prostrate on the ground in awe.

If you know Him – if you belong to God – He wrote down your name that day too.

He took a pen (or whatever you write with in Heaven) to paper, thought of you, and wrote your name.

He chose you.
He wanted you.
You are His.
And your citizenship lies in Heaven.

Amazing!