John 10:2,3,14,15 Jesus Knows my Name Alice Public John Public |
“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 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….I am the good shepherd, I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep” (NLT).
Although it is not said specifically, we can infer from the above verses that Jesus knows each of us by name, and names are very important to us. I’m glad that my neighbor knows my name and I am not “just the guy who lives next door.” Jesus knows my name; He calls me Ed.
Names are of great importance throughout the Bible. God named Adam and Eve, and He assigned Adam the task of naming all the animals. God changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah to signify that they had been changed. Jacob became Israel. In Isaiah 43:1, the Word says, “ But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, ‘Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine’”(NLT). In the New Testament, Jesus changed Simon to Peter and Saul to Paul. In Psalm 147, we are told that God calls the stars by name. One author claims that God has one hundred names, and another claims that He has 50 names, and His names are indicative of who He is and what He does. Jehovah Nissi, Jehovah Shalom, Jehovah Rapha, Jehovah Jireh are just a few of the well-known names of God.
God knows me by name, He calls me by name, and at the last trump, He will call me by name, and I shall rise to be with Him in the air. I am overwhelmed that the God of the universe decided that He wanted to know me by name. We are even told in Revelation 2:17 that God thinks enough of us that He gives each of us a secret name that only He and each individual knows—a name to be used only by the God of the universe. Now, that’s special! When I hear that name called in His voice, I will come running with excitement to be by His side.
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