Called By The Name of God

Called by the Name of God || Deut 28:8-10 || Pastor Aaron Robinson

The verses highlighted for today's devotional are preceded by blessing that will fall on the nation Israel for their obedience to God. The 3 verses for today's devotional remind us of three things; God will bless you in all that you do, God will establish you as a holy people, and all of the people of the earth will call you by God's name which will demand respect.

When I was a child and even into early adulthood, if people did not know my name but they knew my mother's name, they would call me Juanita’s boy or Mrs. Turner’s son.  They associated me with my mother and her good works and because I am Juanita’s boy I must be alright. I completed my years of high school in the same school that my mother was a teacher, so many of the teachers knew that I was her son and even the students which gave me street cred at my high school. I point this out because being connected to a name can have benefits.

In the text the author is reminding the reader that there are benefits to being called by the name of God. Because the nation Israel is called by God's name, God's favor falls on them and when God's favor falls on, them blessings surround them. The author is also saying that being called by the name of God means that they are part of the family of God and because they are part of the family of God they can expect blessings, they will be made holly and they will be respected.
 
I started this devotional by reminding you that when I was younger people called me by my mother's name, after the first time I realized that I had to move a certain way because people knew my mother and I was a reflection of who she was. Because we are part of the family of God and called by God's name, we have an obligation to act accordingly. The text reminds us that we must be obedient and act like children of God so that the world will know who we are and whose we are.

The season of lent is about us drawing nearer to who God desires for us to be. If you are unsure of who God desires for you to be just look at Jesus Christ. This Lenten journey it's about us moving to reclaim our relationship with God. There's nothing more powerful than someone saying he or she is a child of God because of the work, witness, and walk we engage in. It is important that we ask ourselves a simple question, the same one Jesus asked his disciples: who do they say that I am? And those who don't know your name should respond by calling you the name of God, a follower of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  Most gracious and merciful God, we thank you for allowing us to draw closer to thee, we thank you for bestowing your name on us. We come with humble hearts and an open mind seeking you so that we might be worthy to be called by your name.