In our denomination a normal church service will consist of: lots of prayers, at least a half hour of singing, a sermon, an altar call where people can approach for personal prayer and sometimes a spontaneous sharing from a member of the congregation called a word of prophecy.

This week one of our elders gave “a word” about how God was making our lives to be open books for the world to read. I got to thinking about what that means for us. Now, while I am sure I don’t have the full understanding of what it means to be an open book several things do come to mind.

First, all books whether open or closed, have authors. Books don’t write themselves. I know this because I have had occasion to leave empty notebooks on shelves for months  hoping that somehow they would spontaneously generate completed stories given enough time. Each time the results have been the same. Nothin’!

If we are to be proper stories we have to let the Author of Life write His words on our hearts. Otherwise all our life’s work will amount to nothing.

Second, books are written with a purpose in mind. The open book that you are has three eternal purposes: First to make famous the name of the God of Heaven; Second to strengthen the faith of those who have faith; Third to be a testimony to those who do not believe, that God is real!

Finally books, at least really good books, are filled with tension, conflict, successes and failures. This is an important point because so often we think that if the story of our lives is less than perfect, we are nothing more than damaged goods unable to be used by God. Listen! The chapter of your life which God is writing right now may be filled with sadness, madness or badness, but your life is more than a chapter; It’s a book and no one reads a book for chapter 10. They read a book to get to the end, to know the whole story. So don’t make too much of the chapter you are in right now whether it’s good or bad. Your life is a story God is still writing. You are a character in process. You are meant to be an open book whose Author intends to change the world. He will use you to do just that if only you surrender to Him and let Him keep writing.