During an inspection of his soldiers prior to a parade, Alexander the Great said to one of them, “Your name is Alexander. My name is Alexander. Either change your name or change your way of living!”
Another leader spoke of a Name and the honor it deserved. King David wrote, “He guides me along right paths bringing honor to his name.”
Names are important for many reasons. In Scripture the word name or words that have the same meaning as name occur nearly 1,100 times. Slightly half of that number refer to the name of God or God’s Son. But the use of the word name in the Bible always carries with it one’s identity or reputation.
Luke writes, “It was there at Antioch that the believers were first called ‘Christians’” or Christ-ones – emphasizing the fact there was something very different, yet something very similar, about those who were believers in Christ. This young church in Antioch included a mixture of Jews and Gentiles whose languages were Greek and Aramaic. And though their languages were different they had one thing in common: Christ. Yet together they lived Christlike lives that reflected His unending, always obvious love. Their lives were so different because of Christ that they had to be given a new name.
Question: Do you qualify to be called Christian?
Prayer: Lord, we often falter and fail in our lives that bear the name of Your Son. Forgive us for those times when our lives do not reflect Your love and Your life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Acts 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
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