Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s appreciate that God knows and calls us by name.

In today’s scripture, John 10:3 (NLT), Jesus said…
[3] The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

And in companion scripture John 11:43-44 (NLT), we read…
[43] Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” [44] And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

Consider…
Names are important partly because they are how others identify us. Parents put careful thought into naming their child, because the name they choose is typically based on someone special or significant in their lives.

For example my eldest son’s first name was chosen after my father and his middle name is my first name. Additionally my baby boy has the same first name as me, and my baby girl shares the middle name as my beloved sister.

Reflecting on the origins of three of my children’s names made me think of the Gabriel giving Mary and Joseph naming instructions for God’s only begotten Son.

Luke 1:31-33 (NLT) shares the instructions to Mary’s…
[31] You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. [32] He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. [33] And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

And Matthew 1:20-21 (NLT) shares the corroborating instructions to Joseph…
[20] As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. [21] And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The name of Jesus was extremely important to God! That fact is reinforced by Philippians 2:9-11 (NLT), which says…
[9] Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Reflecting on the name of Jesus hits play on the hymn with the lyrics…

The name of Jesus is so sweet,
I love its music to repeat;
It makes my joys full and complete,
The precious name of Jesus.

Refrain:
“Jesus,” oh, how sweet the name!
“Jesus,” ev’ry day the same;
“Jesus,” let all saints proclaim
Its worthy praise forever.

Honestly, I could stop writing right here. However, the Holy Spirit inspired me to point out the fact that the God exhibited the same naming intentionality with others that He had with Jesus.

Genesis 17:5 (NLT) shares…
[5] What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.

And Genesis 35:9-11 (NLT) shares…
[9] Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, [10] saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel. [11] Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!

Also in the new testament, John 1:42 (NLT) we’re told…
[42] Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).

These three passages illustrate the point that our names are important to God.

This brings me to today’s scriptures.

In the first passage, Jesus says that He calls His own by name. Jesus’ declaration made me imagine Him doing a roll call, which brings back memories of the song that says…

Sign me up (Sign me up)
For the Christian jubilee
Write my name (Write my name)
On the Roll
For I’ve been changed (I’ve been changed)
Since the Lord has lifted me
I want to be ready when Jesus comes.

The Holy Spirit is telling me to remind you that Revelation 21:27 (NLT) declares…
[27] Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Your name must be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life to live with God in the new Jerusalem! I imagine Jesus holding an attendance sheet with His nail pierced hands, checking in each of us with His blood stained fingertips as He reads our name from His Book of Life and we respond ‘HERE’.

My Lord, the Holy Spirit just showed me that the Lamb will be letting in His sheep. The Holy Spirit also emphasized, the Lamb’s sheep know His voice! Therefore if you want to know if your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, take the pre-entrance hearing test. Do you hear and obey Jesus’ voice?

Speaking of hearing and obeying Jesus’ voice, today’s second scripture is special because it’s a preview of Him calling each us of out of darkness into His marvelous light. Reminder the passage said…
[43] Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” [44] And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

The Holy Spirit just showed me that while Jesus calls us out of slavery to sin and death, we have to be unwrapped in order to live in freedom and life. 🤯

I was led to Romans 8:2 (NLT), which declares…
[2] And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

And also to Romans 8:9-12 (NLT), which explains…
[9] But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) [10] And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. [11] The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. [12] Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.

Jesus calls us by name, and that brings us out of darkness into the marvelous light, but it’s up to us to walk in that light.

Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) explains…
[8] For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

This makes me think, once our name is called there’s a new light expectation associated with that calling.

Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT) exhorts…
[1] Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. [2] Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. [3] Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. [4] For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. [5] There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

When you hear Jesus’ voice calling you by name, pause and rejoice that He knows your name. But after your praise pause ends, let your obedient worship begin.

It’s a blessing to know that God knows our name, but that means nothing if we don’t recognize and obey His voice when He calls us.

That realization makes me hear the Elevation Worship lyrics…

Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself?
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling
O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Jesus is calling your name, are you obediently responding?

Oh my God, the Holy Spirit won’t let me stop. He just gave me the image of a restaurant hostess calling the names of people who have reservations. If the people don’t respond in a timely manner their reservation is cancelled and the available table is given to the next person on the list. That’s the exact story Jesus tells about the wedding feast where invited guests missed the banquet because they failed to respond to the Father’s call. And the invited guest’s loss became willing stranger’s gain. (Matthew 22:2-14)

The Holy Spirit is telling me to make sure we don’t miss out on what God has prepared for us because of our failure to affirmatively respond to His call! Our assigned Helper is also emphasizing Matthew 22:14 (NLT) concludes the wedding feast parable with…
[14] “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Like the hostess in a restaurant, God only chooses those who respond to His call!

So today, listen for God calling your name, and obediently respond without haste when you hear Him, so that you’ll be chosen for what He’s prepared for you.

Today’s song is…
You Know My Name

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)