What’s In A Name?

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. ~Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)

Several months into my only pregnancy, my husband and I decided that we wanted to know the gender of our baby.   In hindsight, it was probably mostly me who decided that and my husband went along with the idea.  I am a list maker and a planner, so I thought it would be best to know if we were having a boy or a girl, so we could properly prepare for our baby’s arrival.

A few months into the pregnancy, an ultrasound indicated that we were having a girl so our preparations included all things pink and pretty.  We chose our child’s name, Ashley Rose.

Fast forward to arrival day and we welcomed into the world, our precious baby…boy!  When asked for the baby’s name, his father and I realized that we were unprepared!  We never even thought about a boy’s name!  After some discussion, we chose Eric Daniel, and I can’t imagine our son with any other name.  It suits him perfectly.

God takes names very seriously.  In Scripture, He often gave new names to people as a way of revealing His divine plan for their life. The Book of Revelation tells us that God is also going to give us a new name when we enter eternity, a name that will be known only to the individual. (Revelation 2:17 NIV)

Simply based on God’s renaming of others in the Bible, I know that my eternal name is going to be something pretty meaningful.  My earthly parents named me Mary Rose and I cherish that name.  How much more precious will the name be that God gives to me when I enter into His Kingdom!

Someday we will all bow down and acknowledge the name of Jesus Christ.  When that day arrives, as a believer, I can’t even fathom the overwhelming honor it will be to enter into His presence.  But, all means all, so that includes those who die without having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  On that day they too will be keenly aware of who Jesus is, but instead of celebrating, they will mourn for eternity without Him.

Although Jesus was born into this world as a man,  Joseph and Mary did not get to choose His name.  Jesus received His name directly from Heaven, and with it, came glory and power.

It grieves my soul when I hear His name spoken in anger or when it just casually rolls off the tongue in frustration.  His name is sacred and should never be spoken in any way other than a spirit of reverence and respect.

When we are unsure of ourselves, His Name gives us courage. (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

When filled with anxiety, His Name brings us peace.   (John 16:33 NIV)

Even the demons tremble at the sound of His Name. (James 2:19 NIV)

There is authority in His Name. (Matthew 28:18 NIV)

And the Bible is very clear that salvation is found …ONLY in His Name. (Acts 4:12 NIV)

Don’t be caught unprepared as my husband and I were on the day our son was born.  If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I pray that you come to know Him and call on His Name as Savior and Lord of your life.  His is the most important Name you will ever speak.