What About Jesus’ Name??? A Word from THE WORD!!! #223

What’s so special about Jesus’ name?  It is the amazing name of our Lord and Savior — our King of Kings!  Yet today people seem to be using it as a talisman or a magic potion, may it never be!  With so much misinformation, I’d like to share some insight into our use, confidence and dependence upon Jesus and His name.

It saddens me that we treat the name of Jesus like a heavenly slot machine, we drop in our demands, call on the name of Jesus, pull the handle and expect God to perform at will.  NOT!!!  Let’s just let scripture be our plumbline of behavior, belief and truth!  Jesus himself lays our foundation of prayer.

“After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done

in earth,

as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10

God’s will should be our desire, yet we have somehow acquired a mindset that has caused many to see God as a heavenly grandfather, just waiting to keep all of his grandchildren “happy”!  NOT!  God’s greatest desire is that we become holy—with or without happiness! (happy=circumstantial, holy=internal nature)

“And we know that all things work together for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn

among many brethren.”  Romans 8:28-29

God is ever working to make us holy and useful servants in HIS kingdom, not ours; growing into holy, obedient and devoted servants to the Most High God and His Son Jesus—not in our own strength but in the power of the precious Holy Spirit who indwells every born-again believer in Jesus! (See Romans 8:9)

“As obedient children,

not fashioning yourselves

according to the former lusts

in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy,

so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written,

Be ye holy;

for I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:14-16

We are to be obedient, trusting children, knowing that our God sees the whole picture of our life, and we only see little pieces of that picture at a time.  God is ever working to grow us, to conform us into “the image of his Son”!  Oh the glory of that thought!  And just a note, when Peter uses the word “conversation” above, he is referring to our lifestyle not just our speech—but they are connected, for what is in our heart will come out in our speech and our life-choices!  May we ever remember that Jesus is our true north—our hope—our help—our sustenance when we rely upon Him.  And one of my favorite passages in all of scripture talks about this very thing and let me say when it talks about getting “the desires of our heart”, we must interpret that in context; and the context says that my delight is in “the Lord”.  Then, we can truly say, “Lord, if it pleases you, it pleases me!”

“Trust in the LORD,

and do good;

so shalt thou dwell in the land,

and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD;

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness

as the light,

and thy judgment

as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD,

and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself

because of him who prospereth in his way,

because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger,

and forsake wrath:

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”  Psalm 37:3-8

And one of the most profound passages about who Jesus is and what He did for us is from Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers.  May we heed this truth and fix our eyes on Jesus.

“And being found in fashion as a man,

he humbled himself,

and became obedient unto death,

even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,

and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of things in heaven,

and things in earth,

and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:8-11

So, are you bowing or demanding?  We are to examine ourself!

Amen and Amen!!!