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In the Name

In the Name

Words of Faith 11-18-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Colossians 3

[17] And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

 

       We are accustomed to praying in the Name of the Lord Jesus.  And why wouldn’t we?  Jesus said: Whatever you ask in my Name I will do for you (John 14:13).  In fact, we sometimes become perfunctory in the use of the Name and tag it at the end of a prayer or blessing as if to add the power needed to receive what we want.  But upon reflection, we realize that this really is not the way Christ intended us to use His Name.

        Paul tells it to us straight.  The Name is not just for prayer or endorsement in requests and blessings.  The Name is not just a stamp or seal upon some of our words while neglecting others. The Name is a way of living and speaking that reflects the Spirit and nature of Christ.  Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Name of the Lord Jesus. To speak or act in the name of someone is to do so with respect and honor for that name.

        Perhaps Paul was remembering that the Name itself was given at great cost.  Being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!   Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the Name that is above every name,  that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:8-11). 

       We must not take the Name lightly.  As we carry the Name, we are Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:20-21).  

       We cannot be ambassadors of the Name on a part-time basis.  We cannot ask Him to bless some of our words but not others or some of our actions rather than all.  For God, there is no split between sacred and secular—religious and civic.  We cannot compartmentalize life into certain arenas where Christ is welcome and others where He is not.  Either Christ is welcomed into all of life, or He clearly is not welcome at all.  Whatever we do in word or deed, we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, or, really, we have no power afforded by His Name.

         When we approach God "in the name of Jesus Christ," we are surrendering our life to Christ and living for Christ. To do all in the Name of Jesus means to live, move, and have our being in the Name of Christ. We trust and depend upon the Name of Christ in all that we do. We claim the Name of Christ in all that we say and do and to represent Christ in all that we say and do.  Whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).

        This also means that we seek in every possible way to do nothing that dishonors the Name of Christ. Whenever we speak or act, we try to honor Christ. We continually remember that Christ hears every word and sees every deed. We love Him with all our hearts; therefore, we aim never to hurt or cause pain for Him by what we say or do. We diligently seek to bring only honor to His Name.

       We do all this not with a sense of burden, but rather with gratitude and thanksgiving.  It is our privilege to be ambassadors for Christ.  We are honored to carry the name of Jesus.  God, the Father, has become our Father by Christ and only by Christ. Therefore, we are constantly thanking God, the Father.

 

       Lord, I am honored to carry the Name of the Lord Jesus.  I am blessed that You hear me pray in Your Name.  Give me grace to do all in Your Name and say all in Your Name.  In the Name.  Amen.

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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