Something Greater Than All the Money in the World

"A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Prov. 22:1

One of the best things about living in the same general vicinity as your parents and in-laws is being asked by a new acquaintance if I'm related to "said parent or in-law". So many people that I come in contact with in a variety of places have a knowledge of either mine or my husband's parents.

There is no better feeling than to have a reputation of honesty, integrity, and Christian influence preceding you merely because of your relationship to someone else.

Well, a good name is one of those gifts that brings some great responsibility with it. I get the honor of claiming that name, but I also get the task of maintaining that good name and bringing honor to it.

I don't only get a good name from my earthly family, but from my Heavenly Father.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:12-13

At the age of seven when I asked Christ to come into my heart, I became a member of God's family and I began wearing His name. I shudder to think of the ways I've trampled on His name through the years. Whether it be blatant sin that was present in my life, or simply refusing to share His name with the lost world around me, I have not always brought glory to my Father's name.

If you are a child of God today, then you are wearing the name of God everywhere you go. Do you wear that nametag proudly? Or do the people you come in contact with even know who you are divinely related to?

Perhaps your earthly lineage has given you nothing to brag about. Well, if you are a Christian, then you have a Heavenly Father and a Brother in Christ, and that gives you a better family tree than any earthly family could ever provide you!

Have you been responsible with the name that was given to you when you were adopted into God's family? Search your heart today. Maybe there's someone in your life who needs to hear about the invitation that God has extended to every single person to join His family. Make a commitment today to wear His name proudly and boldly before everyone you meet.

Comments

Taking the Mask Off

If I’ve learned anything over the last few weeks of wearing masks when going out in public, it’s that wearing a mask makes it hard to breathe. The trapped air recirculating in and out gets thick and burdensome. The same is true for the invisible mask I wear on the days that I’m trying to hide the reality of what’s going on below the surface. There comes a point when the air that has gotten trapped between my invisible mask and my unfortunate reality gets so heavy that ripping it off and gasping for a dose of fresh, life-giving oxygen is the only remedy. ( Cue the proverbial mask selfie that everyone has had to take during quarantine. ) I think many of us frequently wear a mask, intentionally or unintentionally, to hide the reality of what’s underneath. We mask up to present a façade. A watered-down version of the true us. A suffocating misrepresentation of our current existence. We’re all guilty. One of my favorite person...

Definitely Not Anti-Climactic

I can honestly say that I was dead wrong. I stated that the actual process of bone marrow transplant was expected to be uneventful and anti-climactic. Let me stand corrected in saying that there is nothing anti-climactic about watching another person's cells being pushed through your child’s central line. Cells that are intended to train his body not to make leukemic cells anymore. Cells that could be accepted or rejected. Cells that were selflessly harvested from a complete stranger and shipped across the ocean. Cells that will become a part of his body and provide him with brand new DNA. Nope. Nothing anti-climactic about that. In fact, I found myself moved to tears frequently throughout the day. I watched my child lie there with the energy to do nothing but receive. He received the gift that was being granted to him. He received the new cells, the new life. Tears wou ld flow for a mult itude of reasons . From reports of a sweet 3rd grade student telling ...

Doing Life at Breakneck Speeds

I recently vied for a coveted "Mom-of-the-Year" award when I took my tween daughter to a concert where her absolute favorite artist was performing. Truth be told, my husband and I felt that the trip was well-deserved as she has sat back and graciously watched her brother receive a plethora of trips, gifts, and attention due to his sickness. I wouldn't trade that special time with her for anything. I was surrounded by thousands of young girls singing their hearts out about twiddling their thumbs and doing things on purpose -- just Google " Sabrina Carpenter " and you'll see what I'm talking about! As we made our way to Charlotte that Friday afternoon, I wondered if my little fuel-sipping Prius was going to sprout wings and start to fly. I was blown away by the breakneck speeds that people were driving down the interstate, giving no attention to speed limits, construction zones, or merging traffic. To keep from getting run over, I felt the need ...

Whole Heart Devotion

Search This Blog