What’s In A Name

 

What’s in a name? A name is everything. As parents we spend months trying to think of the perfect name for our babies and maybe even the meaning behind those names. When the doctor announces the gender of our babies we then mull over the perfect names for a girl or a boy and when we finally fall on that perfect name something clicks and we know that is who we were meant to have join our family.

 I was recently talking with my family through a Marco Polo which is an app you can download on your phone to talk through video messaging. My sister was telling us that she does a workout and her instructor was telling her audience that we must find our higher power whatever that higher power is for them. Some people call it an inner light, the universe, their faith or xyz whatever it is that you choose to name your higher power. She then went on to say that it does not matter what the audience calls their inner strength or higher power the name does not matter. As a Christ follower and as a human being I believe that we are being fooled to believe that a name does not matter. 

It is interesting to me how when it comes to names for God and what or whom we believe in we can be so flippant with what we believe and not stand firm on a truth. We say things like, “whatever you believe is correct,” “you do you,” “every belief is truth” and we state that a name does not matter. When if we really sat down to ponder what we are saying we would know that this is not truthful speaking and does not make sense. If you live in America you know that this last election was a doozy and if you said that a name does not really matter when it comes to choosing a president you would then know that thought line is not true. It was Trump vs Biden. The election was all in a name. These two names were at the forefront of many American’s minds. If you are a person who votes, you know it is all in a name. You cannot say you will vote for both. 

How is it that with humans we hold a person who is not a God to such a high standard and you are either a great person or a horrible person dependent on who you vote for but when it comes to God you can worship whomever you want or that a name does not matter. A name does matter and his name is Jesus, the Great I AM, Yahweh, Jehovah Jireh, the Alpha and the Omega. A name matters and the name you choose to proclaim also matters. I believe that God is calling the followers of Jesus Christ to no longer be wishy washy in proclaiming that people can claim any higher power. 

God tells us through scripture that no one comes to the Father except through him. We must start to be truth tellers and stop being wishy washy and luke warm. The time has come for us to proclaim the name of the one we worship in our schools, work places, homes, grocery stores and churches. I promise you someday when you come to the end of your life and see Jesus face to face if you proclaimed his name here on earth and chose to follow him, he will proclaim your name and say well done good and faithful servant and you will have eternal life.