Week Forty-Four, 2023
He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:15
It is her habit, but a good one. The first thing she asks anyone is….. “Tell me your name!” When the server comes to the table, when she checks in for a flight, when she checks out at a store, when she approaches a bank teller, etc. I suppose if she was pulled over for speeding, when the officer approaches the car, she would push a button to roll down the window and ask the officer what is his name…unless she can read the badge!
To her, names are important, and they are. Why is a name so important? Our names are an incredibly important part of our identity. They carry deep personal, cultural, familial, and historical connections. They also give us a sense of who we are, the communities in which we belong, and our place in the world.
It reminds me of the lyrics from the TV sitcom, Cheers, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”
Names give things meaning. They bring us meaning. People choose names for their newborns based on different factors such as the unique meaning, origin, family tradition, or simply how pleasant it sounds to the ears. Most people do not realize the importance of a name. Studies indicate that the names we are given affect how we perform later in life.
The power of names is deeply personal, which means hearing our own name can have a profound psychological effect. Remembering someone’s name and repeating it back to them makes them feel important, valued, and seen. It also helps build a bond between the two of you and strengthens the relationship you have. We’ve lived with our names since early childhoods. More than anything, they mean something to us and are core to our identities.
The Bible does not specifically address hearing your name called. However, it does talk about the importance of hearing and listening to God’s voice. In Jeremiah 29:12-13, God says, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
What joy and security it is as believers to know that God knew our names before we were born and that He promises to give all who know Him a new name one day in Heaven, known only to us and Him.
From Proverbs 22:1, we see that a good name certainly should outweigh riches, prominence, position, and status. Conversely, a lack in either can leave us in a state of moral and/or spiritual poverty, seeking self-worth over godly worth.
Names are an important possession. Some come from translation. For example, mine means beloved. Many find their source in the Bible.
Everyone’s name is important and unique to them. So, the next time you come in contact with someone, ask them for their name before you ask for anything else and watch their faces light up in appreciation because they are noticed and important.
P.S. “She” has a name as well!
SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM EDGAR APONTE:
• Pastors should be servants of the Lord, not celebrities.
• When you give, do it for the right reason. Give for God and not for people.
• The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart.
• We have placed people in the place of God.
• Jesus expects you to give, so give generously and honor God through your giving.
• God blesses obedience so trust God’s gracious promise.
• Trust the Sovereign Lord, remember He is not surprised by what is happening in the world.
• The world wants to disciple you and reprogram you. Resolve to be shaped by the Word of God.
• Resolve that the world will not win your mind and affections, so you can be a blessing to the world.
• Think like a missionary by using your vocation to be a witness and a blessing to the city.
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That was a terrible tee shot. Can I get a Mulligan? I wish I hadn’t said it quite that way. Can I say that again? I bought the wrong item. Can I bring it back for right one? I broke our friendship without knowing all the facts. Can we be friends again?
These, and many more like them, are times when we want a second chance. There is, however, one time when we cannot have a second chance…the day we die. I wish I had said “I love you.” I wish I had spent more time with you instead of at work. I wish I had placed my trust in Messiah Jesus, this wish bears eternal consequences.
Don’t let your first chance pass you by without securing your eternal home by establishing a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This first chance choice will help you avoid having to make many second chances.
Be a first chancer. Rich Jensen
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WORDS OF WISDOM FROM TOMMY CAMPBELL:
• The practice of true righteousness is living for the pleasure of God and not for the praise of people.
• Worship is not a show for others. It is a personal expression of our devotion to Christ. Worship for an audience of one!
• Prayer is not about conforming God’s will to ours. It is about conforming our will to God’s. Make God’s glory your primary motivation in prayer.
• The Lord sees the sacrifices you make for his glory. Don’t worry about whether or not man sees them – rest in the fact that your Father is pleased.
QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, and also the other way round, to consider the most wretched sort of life as paradise. Adolf Hitler
To have done anything just for money is to have been truly idle. Eleanor Roosevelt
Challenging believers to live with eternity values in view is hard when we are too concerned about living like life is to be maximized for pleasure in the form of a two minute warning drill. Dwight Short
Listen to understand, not to defend.
You don’t have to be a preacher to tell people the truth. As a matter of fact, you may do better in telling them because they will listen to you but not to a preacher. Regardless of whether you are a preacher or a saint it is always about the truth and the Word of God. We can’t fear making people angry or uncomfortable. Elbert Nasworthy
Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody. Mark Twain
Racing fans should understand that eternity can come in the twinkling of an eye; just like crashes happen in the same time frame…get your car and your life together now! Dwight Short
A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall, therein; and will continue to produce their kind. James A. Allen
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself. Leo Tolstoy
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark. Michelangelo
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe. Abraham Lincoln
If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth, only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin, and in the end, despair. C. S. Lewis
If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over? John Woodard
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