His Great Name Sake

For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.
(1 Samuel 12:22)

Meditation

As believers, we have been selected out of the world and are called by the name of Christ Jesus. He will not abandon us to the fate that will come to those who stubbornly refuse the free gift of salvation. Not because we warrant his grace but, so we will call him great. He is great and good beyond our ability to comprehend. The Father did not sacrifice his Son on the cross because we deserve to be saved, but because it glorifies him to have all nations and tongues follower him. He pursues everyone, good or bad, rich or poor, red, yellow, black or white with the same great love and compassion.
Once we have repented of our rebellion against God and decided to follow him, we are his possession forever. There will be times when we fail him and fall back into our old ways of living. Asking for forgiveness will return us to righteousness. He will not forsake us because we sin. He is faithful to forgive us. Even though some of us are being persecuted to the point of death, he rescues our souls to be with him forever. Again, not because we deserve it but because he is so full of grace. He has done all the work. All we have to do is submit to his authority.
If God were to abandon us to whatever fate fall upon the ungodly, what would be said about him? What would that indicate about an all-powerful God who does not take care of the ones who love and follow him? Wouldn’t it be said that there was little power in his name? Wouldn’t he be rejected as just another god who was created in the minds of men and women? God has proven himself trustworthy time and time again. He has proven he has the power to accomplish his will for this world. He will not force himself on us. We must call on the name of Jesus to be saved.
The name of Jesus is above all names. When we put on Christ and go out into the world, we represent him. Everything we do reflects on him. If we act no different from all the unsaved around us, we are sullying the name of Jesus. We are supposed to be different because we were selected by God. We may never be perfect at showing the world the image of Christ in our lives, but we’re expected to try. If for no other reason than to glorify the name of Jesus. If we do that, our future in eternity is secured. I hope everyone who reads this has chosen the path to eternal happiness.




Heavenly Father if we tried to describe you with every possible word we can think of, such as good, kind, and loving, we would still fall short of exactly who you are. Even when we are still in rebellion against you, you do not treat us like we deserve. You are long-suffering and patient when we make the same missteps time and time again. Thank you for loving us the way you do. Not because we deserve it, but because for you to be or act any other way would tarnish your great and mighty name. You have placed before us, the prize of eternity with you, and now call us your children. We cannot do anything to earn your love or the blessings you bestow on us. You supply our every need. We can only call on the name above all other names to save us from the wretched pool of despair we’re in. Make us over into people who look and act just like Jesus, who willingly serve you and your kingdom every day of our lives. It’s in Christ’s name, we pray. Amen!

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