Your Name
What’s your name…where’d you get it and what’s it mean ? I was named after two men my daddy worked with 🙄 ( he must’ve been hopin for a raise or somethin 🤣 )…and if you looked up the meaning … my “front name” means, “horse lover”, my middle name, “clay settlement”…and my “back name”, “renowned warrior”. I’ve ridden horses and had my share of scrapes, bruises and sore backsides from em…and although i “like” a horse ride occasionally, i ain’t buyin one, feedin one or takin one on t’ raise … so i don’t consider myself a “lover of horses” or hold any grand “fondness” for em. As for the middle and last names… i do hail from Mississippi, and we got plenty o’ “clay soil”…and as for bein a “renowned warrior”…the only parallel there is my being a warrior for Christ…which i proudly proclaim ! I KNOW my daddy wasn’t thinkin along those lines when he was tryin to come up with a name for me, but hey, it’s the one i tote with me every day so it’s just gon’ haveta do. Give thought to your name for a minute. Not the name on your birth certificate, but the one you’re given later. 🧐 See ? We all have an opportunity to “change” our given name … from “non-Christian” to “Christian”. Personally, i know a few “Christians” ( birth names ) , and i ain’t convinced they’re all “born-again”( John 3:3 )…but that’s neither here nor there…but i also know alotta “Christians” ( in the Biblical sense ) that raise a few eyebrows, also. They “claim” the name of “Christ”, but i ain’t real sure He ever “assigned” it to em. We can answer someone in the affirmative, “ Yeah, ima Christian”…”Yes sir, ima believer”, but still be lost and headed to hell in a handbasket…for the simple reason that we’ve never given Jesus the Lordship of our lives. Sure…there may’ve been a “confession” of our lips, but there was never a confession of our heart…and that’s where any good relationship starts ! Jesus said it Himself…” They honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me” ( Matthew 15:8-9 ). Y’all…He ain’t just talkin bout those folks “back then”…He’s talkin bout most of us today ! It’s a personal choice to hang onto our old handle ,” non-Christian” … or take on a new name with new ways ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ), the name, “Christian”. If you’ve never tried it, what’s stopping you ?! If you’ve received it already, you oughta notice changes takin place daily ! You’ll notice things that display the glory of God … the way the trees, the ocean and streams proclaim His goodness … the winds whisper praises to Him … creation magnifies His name ! You’ll look at people differently…you’ll see “worth” where you used t’ not … you’ll feel a love for em that you used t not ! You’ll start exhibiting not only love, but joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…because it’ll be coming from the Spirit living in you ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). Jesus Himself says it, “ Those who love Me will not only look like Me, they’ll act like Me” ( paraphrased )…( John 14:15 ),”and will do what I command.” So … whose “namesake” are you wearing ? If it’s Jesus’ , can others see it ? Can they tell there’s something different about you other than your hairstyle, your facelift or your confidence-level ? Psalm 139:23-24 oughta be our daily prayer to GOD … “ Search me, O GOD, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” For YOUR namesake, Amen.