The Template of God

UV 617/10,000 The Template of God “They overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12 v 11 We receive new birth by faith in the redeeming blood of the Lamb Jesus. We grow strong by imbibing the Word of God like a child imbibes milk. When the Word abides or resides in our hearts and minds, it is as if God Himself dwells in us. We are the tabernacle of the Word of God. Instead of writing His commandments on stone that is brittle and breaks, He writes His commands on our hearts. When we carry the Word of God in our hearts, we are carrying the cross. Just as an artist uses a stencil to draw a shape he desires to draw, similarly, the Word of God will provide the templates for our lives to cut out the portions that are not pleasing to God and to include the portions that He desires to include. Jesus was born in a small manger but He longs to be born again and again in an even smaller place, the hearts and minds of believing people through all generations. Since our human hearts are small, it can hold only the things that we consider the most precious in our lives- the Word. When we live according to the Word, it becomes the Word of testimony. When people ask, “ where is the evidence of God?”, we can reply that we are the evidence of God’s faithfulness and righteousness and love. We overcome the enemy of our souls, satan by our faith and by our testimonial lives- by holding on firmly to the Word of God and by holding out the word of testimony. A testimonial life is symbolized in the Book of Revelation as clothes that are washed white in the Blood of the Lamb. When we consider our faith in Jesus and the Word of God the most valuable aspects of our lives, we will be prepared to even face death rather than give these up. The early martyrs did love their lives but loved Jesus and the Word of God even more that they were willing to be put to death rather than deny their faith. When we overcome the enemy of our souls, our names are written in the Book of the Living. We receive a new name. We receive a crown of life. We sit on the throne with Jesus. We become not just co-heirs but co-rulers with Jesus. Prateep V Philip