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New Clothes and Permanent Ink

Read: Revelation 3:1-6

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. (v. 5)

I don’t really like the word overcomer, the word my preferred translation (AMP) uses for this verse. To me, it suggests behavior I practiced for the first 43 years of my life, blindly picking myself up and moving on, using a “just do it” or “get ’er done” mentality. This approach consumes a lot of human energy with little spiritual depth. Even conquers has a connotation I shy away from these days.

Our key verse, however, speaks of a deep spiritual discipline. We want to “run with endurance the race that is set before us” (see Heb. 12:1-3). We aren’t in it alone, like I used to believe, a story I tell in my memoir Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. We are yoked up with the master overcomer, and he is stronger than us.

This kind of victory leads to high honors at the finish line, new clothes, solid ink in the Book of Life, and hearing your name from the mouth of Jesus, declaring you as his dear friend and traveling companion, right in front of God and the angels. Imagine being loved on, in public, by the most powerful overcomer of all! Hebrews promises if we keep our eyes on Jesus, it’ll help us not grow weary and lose heart. For the joy set before us, we’ll keep overcoming. —Amy Clemens

As you pray, thank God for his promises to those who overcome by faith.

About the Author

With a bachelors in journalism from Texas Tech University and a masters from Western Theological Seminary, Amy Clemens enjoys all things writing, particularly about the life of faith. She is blessed with a family that includes husband Fred, five children, and five grandchildren.

Amy has just published her first book, "Walking When You'd Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall," which weaves her journey from childhood abuse toward healing and spiritual growth with a practical theology for the big story of God. You can find out more about the book and author at walkingwhenyoudratherfly.com.

This entry is part 16 of 16 in the series Promises of God