Names

John 1: ⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).

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When I got some great news I could not wait to tell my friends. I went through the names in my head to make sure I did not miss anyone. Each message I told was met with excitement.

• There are some names I want to share things with.
• There are some names I think of when I want to tell people a certain message.
• There are some names I desire to discuss GOD with.

Andrew was revealed as one of the two who left John as a disciple and followed JESUS. He immediately thought of the name of his brother, who was also seeking JESUS. When Andrew brought Simon to JESUS, a new name was given. JESUS renamed Simon to Cephas, meaning Peter. JESUS had the authority to name him.

• GOD has a name for me that I am looking forward to learning.
• GOD has a name for me that is written in HIS “Book of Life.”
• GOD has a name for me that only HE knows and it is special.

Earthly names enable humans to know who I am as a label only. They really cannot tell if I love GOD or not. BUT GOD knows my name by how much HE loves me. HE gave me my name before the time HE created me. HE gives me the authority to use the name of JESUS as my connection to HIS power. I pray in JESUS’ name that all who read this will be blessed.

• What is your purpose?
• Who do you think of when you want to tell people about what GOD has done?
• Will you leverage the name of JESUS to overcome situations today?