Who Are You ⁉
"And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will." ~ Acts 13:22
What's in a name?
Names have meanings, names drive purpose. It's a recurring phenomenon and truth that we see throughout the Bible.
Of course, there is the raging debate of self-fulfilling prophecy versus Divine appointment, but the fact is that we've seen many a person struggle with living out the projection of the name that they have been given, or the name that they have taken on, time and time again.
Without question though, your name invariable represents you. It's what you are called, it's how you are called, it's what you acknowledge and respond to... and it's a portal and pathway for how people perceive who you are.
Have you ever heard the expression: "Don't tarnish my name?"
The popular query isn't referring to treading scoff marks on some name tag or nameplate. It refers to a person's reputation, their brand... what they stand for.
As we journey through this life we'll deal with many names.
Some will even have to deal with their own name change, possibly due to marriage. Some will have to contend with pet-names and nicknames, some flattering.. some very much less so.
Regardless of what string of letters that you sign to as your name, there are essentially 3 "names" that you'll have to deal with.
1. There's the name your parents give you. That is essentially a representation of who they want you to be. All of their hopes and dreams for the person that they would be proud to see you become.
2. There's the name that others give you. This is pretty much a declaration of who they see you as and/or who they want you to be. It's often indicative of how you fit in and relate with their own life... a best friend, a spouse, a nemesis, a mentor, etc.
3. There's the name you give yourself. This is a mental and emotional and aspirational projection of who you want to be. It's your daily driver to shape your mind and your being.. your very life.
These all come from different angles and can be really tough to wrangle and harmonize, but truthfully if you somehow manage to unify all these personified perceptions, then you, my friend, would have hit the jackpot.
As amazing as that sounds... and to be honest, it sounds pretty great to not have to live a philosophically and ethically bifurcated life... there is still one name that is more important than all these other names combined: The name that God gives you.
You see, the name of Jesus is a name that's higher than any other name... so our Lord knows a thing or two about names, and reputation, and character.
The Lord calls you to live for Him and worship Him in spirit and in truth. To set your heart to worship Him... and to worship Him, like for real.
When the Lord addresses you, whether now or at that final roll call, He will call you as He sees you. He will address you by your name: Your character, who you are, how you've lived.
He calls it as He sees it.
Will He be addressing you as "Mighty man of valour", "Highly favoured", "Truly blessed" or will your actual legacy leave you feeling estranged, ashamed and unfulfilled?
The good news is that in this test of life, you know what you want the answer to be at the end of the day... so before the days have ended, you have that chance to prepare for the question... and that question is: Who Are You?