How would you define "job security"? Think about that for a minute. In this day and age, in which a person's employment status can change in a moment's notice, what could your boss do to make you feel confident and secure with your position? What if he carved it in stone?

It is not uncommon for businesses to post the name of the manager somewhere on their premises. Most of the time it is on or near the front door. This week Isaac and I went to eat at a local restaurant. It is an annual tradition that we have enjoyed for several years now. We have some father/son time while we get gifts for the girls in the family, and then finish off the day with a nice dinner. On the outside of the restaurant, right next to the front door, there was a concrete block in the wall with the manager's name engraved in it. I remind you that this was not the owner's name, it was the manager's. That, my friends, is a fairly good indication of one's job security.

The idea of something being written down, cast in stone, gives us a feeling of permanence and security. I believe this is exactly why the Bible refers to the saved as having their names written in the Book of Life.

"And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books... And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:12, 15).

In this world of constant change and uncertainty, we can know that our names are written down, recorded in the omniscient mind of God, as one of the saved. This gives us the hope and confidence which we need to stand firm and fight the good fight of faith.

How do our names come to be written in the Book of Life (remembered as one of the saved)? We must believe in Christ (John 8:24), repent of our sins (Luke 13:3), confess our faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10) and be baptized in water (Acts 22:16). Once we have become a Christian, we must remain faithful to the Lord. "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). Failure to do so will cause our names to be blotted out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5).

If you are a faithful Christian, you can have confidence in your soul's salvation, just as surely as if it was written in stone.

"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:13).