WHAT'S IN A NAME

From My Perspective - - - 

There is an expression used to describe one’s drive for recognition and/or achievement - “Making a name for oneself.” Historically, one thinks of those who were Inventors - Thomas Edison and Electricity; Samuel Morse and the Telegraph; Henry Ford and the Assembly Line for the manufacture of Automobiles; etc. There are people of historical achievement whose names would not be recognized or fully appreciated for the great feat accomplished. One instance of this would be the brainchild and the ensuing reality of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The names behind this dream are not always known or remembered even though millions of people have stood in awe and gazed upon the almost final result. It is recorded that: “Mount Rushmore…was the brainchild of Doane Robinson, known as the ‘Father of Mount Rushmore.’ His goal was to create an attraction that would draw people from all over the country to his state. Robinson contacted Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor who was working on the monument at Stone Mountain, Georgia. Borglum met with Robinson during 1924 and 1925. He was the one who identified Mount Rushmore as a perfect location for a grand monument. Borglum died in 1941 shortly before the termination of the project being dedicated In October 1941.”

Names both positively and negatively, are often associated with Monuments, Wars, Major Events, Sports Accomplishments; Crimes; etc. World Magazine for May 17, 2014 highlights a significant event that recently occurred in Carroll County, Maryland. The event focused on one thing - The Name! Andree Seu Peterson reports: The “commissioners of Carroll County, Md., were doing fine until a few irate citizens noticed Robin Bartlett Frazier using “the name” in her pre-meeting prayers. They got the American Humanists Association to help them sue. Federal Judge William Quarles served an injunction—not forbidding prayer altogether, mind you, just forbidding “the name.” Ms. Frazier…explained to those in attendance the day after the March 26 ruling: “There was an injunction … that came down that said, oh, we could pray, but we just can’t use certain words, like ‘Jesus,’ and ‘Lord,’ and ‘Savior.’ … I think that’s an infringement on my First Amendment rights of free speech.” - “I am willing to go to jail over it.”

Why is it that people and groups react so negatively because of a name or inference such as Jesus, Lord, His Name, etc.? several years ago, Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote the words to a worship chorus that captured the significance of His Name. some of the Lyric is: “Master, Savior, Jesus…Let all heaven and Earth proclaim; Kings and Kingdoms will all pass away - but - there’s something about That Name.” It captures the thought and message of the prophet - Isaiah 45:22-23 - "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn; from my mouth has gone out in righteousness a word that shall not return: To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear allegiance.” The MSG phrases verses 23-24, “Everyone is going to end up kneeling before me. Everyone is going to end up saying of me, Yes! Salvation and strength are in God!"  As Paul reflected upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, he seems to have been unable to contain himself any longer when he wrote in Philippians 2:9-11, “God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so 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.”

The question we all must face is whether or not we will be among those who compromise and capitulate to the cultural pressures of our day? However, there is a day coming when Revelation 4:11 will be the scene the faithful followers of Christ will witness and share: "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Be strong and courageous for the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be numbered with those in Hebrews 13:6 - “…we can confidently say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me!” Consider these things with me.