10/14/2018
What is your name; what are you called? On physical earth you have a sir name, but what is your spiritual name, your name of faith? Are you called Godly, Christian, Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, Orthodox, Pastor, Reverend, Father, Bishop, some other name of faith, or are you simply unknown? Let’s shorten this question... are you called by the name of God, or not? Names can indicate a nationality, a race, a tribe, or a family, but eventually they give an indication as to who your father is. So, who is your spiritual father?
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.”
Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
So we are our Father’s children by birthright... yet when we are born again we become His children and take on His name, and something else happens at that time; He takes us into His home, begins to feed us, and provides for us. Our spiritual food is the Word of God, and it becomes our joy, and delight.
“But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"”
Matthew 4:4 ESV
And if we listen to the Words of our God, feed on them, and enter into his house, we will not only take on His name, but will be rewarded. We are told that our children will come into the lineage of kings.
“For if you will indeed obey this word, then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people.”
Jeremiah 22:4 ESV
If however, we do not accept God the Father, and we do not feed upon His Word, then we and our children will not come into God’s family, and we will become desolate and without hope.
“But if you will not obey these words, I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.”
Jeremiah 22:5 ESV
When we first seek God we might ask ourselves, “What is so special about the Word of God?” Well, God IS the Word, and as we feast on Him we are reborn because of it, and we will adhere to His will as children of God.
In today’s society we are very conscious of what we eat, and we know that if we want to be healthy we must eat healthy food. A common expression is “You are what you eat”, and this is demonstrated nowhere more profoundly than in our spiritual selves. So what do you take in as spiritual sustenance? Are you truly reborn? Have you become part of the house of the Lord, and thus taken on His name?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
John 1:1, 12-13 ESV
Amazing things happen to us when we enter into the family of the Lord, but nothing more revealing than being called by a new name. When I was a kid there was a boy in my neighborhood who we called “Bobby the Loser” because he was so uncoordinated that whoever ended up with him on their team when playing sports was almost certainly doomed to lose! Then we went off to college, and “Bobby the Loser” did well, and eventually became a writer for the Washington Post. He was no longer referred to by his old nickname, but simply William, and it was placed beneath the title of the stories he wrote for all to see. A new name of respect for a new life.
Abram was a Bible figure who received a new name and became Abraham. His name first meant “exhausted father” but once change became “father of a multitude.” God changed the name of Abraham’s wife as well, she was first called Sarai which meant “my princess” but God changed her name to Sarah which means “mother of nations.”
What was your name, and what has God changed it to since you became His child? Were you once referred to by your friends by some nickname, only to have it changed after becoming God’s child? Did you go from being introduced as simply “Billy” to... “This is Bill, he is a godly man?”, or how about going from “Mr. Doe” to “Reverend John?” When we change families in this way we take on a new diet, a new life, and a new name...
So where do you go to eat? What is your favorite food? What’s your family name?
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for giving me your Word to sustain me. I thank you Lord for taking me into your house and calling me your child, and I thank you for giving me your name. As men we call you “I Am”, we call you Lord, Master, and so many other names... what do the angels call me in heaven Lord? What will I answer to at your table? Will it be different from how I am called today? Bless me Holy Father, and know that I desire to bring glory to the name you have given me. Thank you Merciful Father for sustaining me by feeding me your Word... of yourself. You are great beyond all understanding, and your grace and mercy pour over me as I search out your Word. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God, my Father.
Rich Forbes