"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:...'I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead.' " (Revelation 3:1a, 2)
The church in Sardis had the right name. Everyone thought they were full of life. But, through the Spirit, John wrote to them the truth of how God saw them: dead. Ouch.
There is a man mentioned in Acts that had a name, too. (I know that sounds funny, but read on.)
"Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet." (Acts 4:36-37)
You have to admit that Joseph is a great name. It means "He adds". The first reference to this name is seen in Genesis. (30:24) Rachel's firstborn son. And, of course, it was the name of our Lord's earthly father. That name carries some honor, I would say.
The apostles saw something more in this man, though. They knew his personality, so gave him a fitting nickname: Barnabas, the son of encouragement. I don't know about you, but if I were a man, I would be honored to be given that moniker!
What does our name mean to those around us? When they hear your name, what is the first thing that comes to their mind? When my family and friends hear the mention of my name, is their initial thought pleasant, or...well...not so pleasant?
When people look at our lives, seeing how we live, treat others, speak, react in tough situations, etc.....what nickname would they give us?
I would love for them to call me Barnabette! A daughter of encouragement! It doesn't sound too pretty, but that's fine with me! :0)
3 comments:
Hey, Barnabette you are very pleasant. I love you! Oh, the children's blog...what a great idea. I am sure it will help them with their creative writing skills.
amen, to be a daughter of encouragement!! AS to the Catholic question..It seems that I remember you saying your husband had been a pastor..that doesn't seem to go along with Catholicism... pastors rarely convert nor do they leave their pastorates unless they are completely burned out and done with God..it just seems a little unusual. I completely agree that fine men and women of God, like yourself, can be found in all Christian faiths...:)
He is the common ground.
It has been a long journey to where we are now. Not due to him being burned out, let me assure you. It started with him reading the writings of the early Church fathers. Like I said, a long, long journey. Some of my first posts on here tell a bit more of the story.
We're happy to be where we are now, though.
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