Names and Numbers

To the federal government I am 2xx-xxx-xx6, to my bank I am 1456897. To my insurance company I am 000-18656. To the post office I am 45662-3612. To the phone company I am 614-353-6851. To the State of Ohio I am RH360671. To the Library I am 2 7977 0003 9668 7. To my message service I am 0101657. If all this sound rather impersonal, it is! I suppose that in today's "digital" world such designations are inevitable but I certainly prefer to known by my name. In fact no one that I know personally or calls me a friend uses a number to refer to me, it always my name. There is One that we can know personally and desires to call us "friend" that knows and uses our name. This one is, of course, our Savior, Jesus Christ. In fact he knows us in such a personal way the Bible declares, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matthew 10:30 .

With His disciples He addressed them by name. Even persons that had not previously met Him, He called by Name (see Acts 9:4). He considers His followers His freindes (see John 15:15). If you are a Christian, Jesus utters your name in the throne room of heaven, "seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." (Heb 7:25). We followers of Jesus may not be "house-hold" names down here but we are known by name up there! Aren't you glad that we are not a number in some heavenly database, but He knows us by name?

There is one place where your name is critical. Our names may not make the newspapers, or the "whose -who" lists but we must make sure that our name is on one list. Listen to what God's word says.

Revelation 20:12 "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." Revelation 20:15 "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

To insure that your name is in the book of life, you need to be saved. This is accomplished by placing your faith in His finished work on the cross. If you need help with that decision, please let me know.

Jesse Waggoner
Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church

©1997 Calvary Baptist Church

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