The Name

 One of my spiritual heroes is Amy Carmichael. Amy was a missionary in India in the early 1900’s and she rescued very young girls from being dedicated to the Hindu temples as temple prostitutes. These girls were born in the lowliest of caste systems in India and at the time and there was a horrible tradition that if you dedicated your daughter to the “temple Gods” that you would find favor with them and when you were reincarnated the Gods would elevate you to a higher caste.

In a biography about Amy written by Lois Dick, Let the Little Children Come, she tells a story about a small Hindu girl who came down from one of the small villages to the town Amy lived. Amy was holding a church service and this young girl listened. The Hindu girl said as Amy said the name of Jesus she stopped and said, “that must be the one who is above all other God’s”. See, this girl would later tell that when she would go in the temple each day to worship she always thought to herself – "THERE HAS TO BE ONE GOD ABOVE ALL THE OTHERS”. She said when she heard the name Jesus – she believed. She knew instantly He was the one. The power of His name was evident to her.  She went back to her village and was forced into a Hindu marriage. For 24 years she never heard another bible story, was never discipled, never read a bible, never saw a bible, never met another believer until she left her village and came and found Amy. She told Amy that hearing the name of Jesus that night sustained her for 24 years.  THE NAME. Hearing The NAME one time sustained a Hindu girl who believed in the 1900s.

So the question becomes – what does the name mean to you today? 

The incredible thing about Jesus is that He met and meets every person exactly where they are. In the book of John alone Jesus says “I am… 23 times. To the SAMARITAN woman who was walking to the well to get water – Jesus said," I am the living water. Anyone who drinks of ME will never be thirsty".

To the 5000 he fed, He said, "I am the bread of LIFE".

To Mary and Martha when they were weeping over Lazarus He said “I am the RESSURECTION and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live”

When Thomas asked Jesus, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way"? Jesus, said, "I am the way the truth and life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

The NAME.. 

Acts 2:21:  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the NAME of the Lord will be saved

 John 20:31 – but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his NAME.

 Matthew 6:9  shows the reverence to His name in how we pray – “our Father who are in Heaven, hallowed be your NAME.

Acts 4:12- there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

 Philippians 2:9 – Therefore 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.

Resting in Him,

Leeanne