Devotion: What's in a Name?

 

The Bible in One Year: Proverbs 16-18/2 Corinthians 6

Today’s Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ~Matthew 1:21

What’s in a Name?

“Gip” Hardin, a Methodist preacher, named his son after the famous preacher, John Wesley, reflecting Gip’s hopes and aspirations for his baby boy. John Wesley Hardin, however, tragically chose a different path than his ministry-minded namesake. Claiming to have killed forty-two men, Hardin become one of the most notorious gunfighters and outlaws of the American West of the late 1800s.

In the Bible, as in many cultures today, names hold special significance. Announcing the birth of God’s Son, an angel instructed Joseph to name Mary’s child “Jesus, because he will save His people from their from sin.

Unlike Hardin, Jesus completely and thoroughly lived up to His name. Through His death and resurrection, He accomplished His mission of rescue. John affirmed the life-giving power of Jesus’s name, saying, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, ad that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). The Book of Acts invites everyone to trust Him, for, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

All who call on Jesus’ matchless name in faith can experience for themselves the forgiveness and hope He provides. Have you called on His name?

Thank You, Father, for providing salvation through Your Son, Jesus. I love You!

Jesus’s name is also His mission—to seek and to save that which was last!

Bible Verse

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. ~Hebrews 4:16

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I don’t want to carry anything today except for Your yoke, which helps me walk more closely with You. In Jesus’ Name. ~Hebrews 4:16

Bible Verse

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards. ~Proverbs 29:11

Bible Verse

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. ~Psalm 51:16

Prayer

O Lord, comfort and guide me as I sleep and protect me from ALL evil. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.