The two Men and their Names

Tuesday 31 October
READ: Luke 16: 19 – 31   
MORE LESSON: Rev. 20: 15

The story in the text is about two men; a poor and a rich man. The poor man had a name that Heaven recognised; the Bible records that his name was Lazarus. The name of the rich man, on the other hand, was not recognised in Heaven; he was merely referred to as 'the rich man'. In the world today, to be called 'the rich man' seems to be a very good name. But, no matter how nice a name sounds, if the name is not recognised in Heaven, it is not yet a good name. The Bible says, a good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one's birth: Eccl. 7:1.

We should pursue a good name. Really, the best name that a man can have is a name that is written in the Book of Life. It is good to do things that give you a good name on earth but beyond that, the best you can do for your name is to get it into the Book of life. The issue of your name being in the Book of life becomes more and more crucial even as the day of a man’s death approaches with every passing second. Lazarus had a good name written in Heaven while the rich man's name was unknown in Heaven. For the two men in the story, it was death that eventually revealed the true value of their names. Similarly for every man, it is death that will reveal whether you have a good name or not.

The two men in this story died; just as everyone reading this will, if Jesus tarries. The rich man died and he was buried with fanfare with which a rich man's burial is always associated. Lazarus died and the Bible doesn't say how he was buried or not buried. But the Bible tells us that Lazarus woke up in Abraham's bosom while the rich man found himself in hell. We must never forget that, ...it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment: Heb. 9:27 (NKJV).

There is life after death; and all that makes the difference is where your name is written. It doesn't matter the name you bear here on earth as much as where your name is written in Heaven. If a man's name is 'governor' or 'president' here on earth and the name is written in the Government House but it is not written in the Book of life, the man is in a very precarious situation. The timeless questions that you have to answer are. “Is your name known in Heaven? Is it written in the book of life?” Accept Jesus into your life today, confess your sins and receive forgiveness through His Blood. Then ask Him to write your name in the Book of Life. As you do this, your eternity is secure in Jesus.

Prayer/Action
*Pray that you will have a good name that Heaven recognises.
*Make use of this opportunity to decide for Jesus now.
*Pray that your name will be written in the Book of life.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Thank You Lord for October, this last 24 hours will deliver and announce my day, in the mighty name of Jesus.