In a powerful scene in one of the Gospels the disciples return jubilant from a tremendously successful campaign in which the demons surrendered and Jesus says he “saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lighting.”  Yet, Jesus told the disciples they should rejoice not in the surrender of the demonic, but rather in the fact that their “names are written in heaven.”

Not all campaigns are successful. Victory is never guaranteed. And, in fact, victory is not why we fight. We fight the good fight because there are good things worth fighting for, regardless of whether we win or we lose. 

Let’s hold onto ourselves today, beloved, and to the things that are both good and true on earth as they are in heaven.