Question for you - What name do you go by?  What I mean is, do you go by your real name or are you a person who is named one name, but everyone really knows you by another? 

Growing up, there was a man in my neighborhood who loved to pick on me, and everyone else for that matter.  I bumped into him several times a week at the corner store.  He was always there, ready with his quick wit.  He drove a little white Nissan pick up truck and instead of calling it his truck or his Nissan like normal people, he would always refer to it as his "Nice Un".  I would bebop into the little store and he would be standing there, wearing his blue Dickies coveralls, Coke in hand, and say, "Did you see my Nice Un out there?"  I would roll my eyes and usually come back with some smarty britches answer. He would just keep on going talking about how "nice" his Nice Un was.  He drove me insane and he knew it and loved every minute of it!

His name was Q.E. Heflin, but no one knew that.  Everyone knew him as "Wink", self declared mayor of Hardmoney (yes, my neighborhood is offically named Hardmoney - I've gotten many a laugh from people over the years from that).  Although Wink and his quick wit are with Jesus now,  if you mention Wink in our neighborhood, everyone knows exactly who you are talking about. But - if you were to say Q.E. Heflin, people would look at you like you had three heads.  He didn't answer to Q.E., he naturally answered to Wink.

My husband is one of those.  His name is Anthony, but no one knows that except for his mom, me, and the IRS.  He has always gone by Todd, and to call him Anthony just seems weird.  He doesn't naturally answer to Anthony.  He naturally answers to Todd, Dad, and Daddy.

Sometimes we are given a name, but we answer to many names.

If you are in a room with several people and you hear your name, it naturally gets your attention.  Our instinct to respond to our name is almost instantaneous. We scan asking, "Did someone call my name?"

We talked about names yesterday, how special the meaning of a name was in biblical times, and how God had Jesus' name picked out for Mary.   We'll pick up in Luke 1, the angel is still talking to Mary.

His name would be Jesus, as we talked about yesterday, but he would be "called" other things as well.  We may have one name, but we also naturally respond to others, maybe a nickname, Mommy, or Daddy. 

So does He.

He naturally responds to other names besides Jesus.  As naturally as you respond to "Mommy", it is His nature to answer to
Son of the Most High....
Savior....
Redeemer....
Lord....
Messiah....
Wonderful....
Counselor....
Prince of Peace....
Everlasting Father....
Abba Daddy....
Alpha....
Omega....
Jehovah....
Immanuel....
I AM....

Imagine yourself in a crowded room and you think you hear someone say your name.  You turn looking for the one who uttered it, scanning the room until you connect with who called you. 

Now - imagine Him, in the splendor of Heaven, celebrating with those who have gone before us.  You are still here and in your need you cry out.....Savior......Lord.....instantaneously His brows raise, His conversation stops, and He scans eternity for you.  He doesn't ask if someone called His name.  Instead, He states with certainty, "She called My name."

That my friend is your fourth gift in this December to Remember.

Jesus, I am so thankful that you are the I AM.  Whatever my need is, You are the answer, and all I have to do is mention your Name and I have your full attention.  You never hold up your finger gesturing for me to wait a minute.  You scan eternity just at the sound of my voice mentioning your name and immediately I have You.  You are so amazing. 

Any Other Name
Wouldn't Be As Sweet


As a young pregnant mother, I pondered name after name, searching for the one that was just right for our little one with both pregnancies.   McKayla's first name wasn't so hard, since Todd had liked that name for a very long time, but her middle name was carefully chosen.  Then, since we were just sure that our second was going to be a boy, we had some boy names in mind and almost finalized.  We really hadn't given much thought to a name for a little girl until the ultrasound declared my mother's intuition to be wrong! 

I panicked.  Here we were, over half way through and we had no clue about what we would name this child, and we were no where near a conclusion.   Several names came to mind and, well, ahemmmm.....they were vetoed by Todd.  Nothing seemed to be "just right".  He suggested we name her Breanna, which I really liked, except for the fact that Breanna was the number one baby name at that time.

Let me explain.  My name is Amy.  Apparently it was a very popular name in the year that I was born.  As I went through my years in elementary and middle school, I attended a school in a rural community, which by most standards, would have been considered small.  Even though my school was small, there were still 3 Amy's in my class.  Amy M.,  Amy N., and Amy P.  Now imagine us all seated in alphabetical order, which was often the case.  Imagine turning in your paper without the last initial on the same day another Amy did the same.  We also at one time had 3 Jennifers.  Ugghhhh.  I decided one day sitting in Mrs. Nanney's 7th grade Social Studies class that I would put a stop to this problem as far as I was concerned by naming my children something that was a little different. 

So, you can understand when my sweet husband pops out with the oh so popular name Breanna, that I quickly vetoed him right back.  We were in a stalemate.  I would ask about the baby name and he would say, "I told you what I liked.  Breanna."  My mature response would always be something like, "And I told you we aren't naming her that."  After several weeks, we did finally settle on a compromise and decided to name her Brenna.  Close enough to what he wanted, and different enough for me.

Funny thing is, after all of the contemplating and discussing of names, I could not imagine either of my girls being called anything different. 

In biblical times names weren't chosen for their popularity, they were chosen for their meaning.  There were even times people changed their names to fit the circumstances of their lives.  God saved Mary the trouble of picking a name.  He had it all picked out for her.  He told her what it should be and He didn't pick the name based on popularity or trends, He picked the name because of what it meant.

The name Jesus has a very significant meaning.

The name Jesus means just what He does for us.

It means "the Lord saves."

Can you imagine?  The angel is speaking to Mary and says, "You shall name Him the Lord saves."

Wow, what mighty shoes to fill in a tender babe, especially when a name held meaning over a life.

My question for you is this -

If His name means the Lord saves, aside from eternal destruction, what has He saved you from?

You may not think of something right off the bat, but I challenge you today to reflect on the timeline of your life and look for things in this life that He saved you from.

When I look back on mine, I see his name all over it.

There are blocks of times, critical decisions where I can see it plain as day that if it weren't for Jesus, I don't know where I would be.

God gave Him the perfect name because any other name wouldn't be as sweet.  Certainly not to me.  His name itself is a gift to us, our third gift unwrapped this December.

The matchless name of Jesus, Father, I look back at my life and see that Jesus is still saving me today.  Not only from an eternity of separation from you, but saving me from things in this life, often from even myself.  Thank You that You continually have Your hand upon my life working it to your will.  Jesus, your name is so sweet.  It brings such power, it brings unspeakable peace.  I couldn't think of a name that fits WHO YOU ARE more perfectly.

 O Favored One


Yesterday we began in Luke 1, verse 26.  The angel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth with a special message.  Let's pick up right where we left off.

The angel addressed Mary as "favored one", I have always read this part of the story and looked upon Mary with such admiration.  What an honor for God to send the angel Gabriel to speak with her and then to be called favored one.

When I think of a favored one, I think of being someone's favorite.  Being really special above others to another person. 

I have always thought, "Wow, God must have really liked her.  She must have lived a godly life worthy of ushering the Savior into the world.....I wish I could be like that."

That is, until I researched favored one.

Favored one comes from a word charitoo (don't ask me to pronounce it, because I can't!).  Charitoo means "to bestow grace, to highly honor".  It was something extended to Mary, not something Mary achieved. 

There are only 2 places where this word, charitoo, is used in the entire New Testament.  The first one  addressing Mary, and the second time in Ephesians 1.

The phrase freely bestowed on, in the original language, is the same word charitoo.  The same word he used when speaking to Mary, the one we think of as favored and special.  Think with me for a moment.  In the first verse He is speaking to Mary, but who do you think Ephesians 1:6 is speaking to?

You.

Yes, you.

If you are a believer, you are favored as well, my friend. 

Not just Mary, but you too.

Rejoice and be glad!  Receive your second gift in this series and make this a December to Remember.  Mary didn't earn the favor, she received it and the same is true for you.


Giver of Gifts, it is nothing I can do on my own to be any more favored by You than I already am.  What an unspeakable gift.  To know that You think as much of me as you do Mary, brings glad tidings and joy to my heart.  Thank you for unwrapping a second Christmas gift this season in your Word. 

As December is brand new this year, the Christmas story itself may not feel quite so new to many of us.  But, no matter how many years we have known the Christmas story, God has a way of making something we have read over and over grab us in a way that causes roots to grow down just a little deeper.  It causes our heart to be drawn a bit closer to His.  I don't know about you, but I love those moments and treasure them in a way that is impossible for me to adequately describe.  Those opportunities seem like I'm truly getting one on one time with the Almighty.  Remember those times as a child when you got Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa all to yourself?  It made us feel so special.  That's what it's like. Just me and Him.  He's all mine.  He has his pen and writes permanently upon my heart in those encounters.

I hope the days to come bring you moments like that.  I pray your heart stirs with joy and excitement and even flutters at the thought of Him.  I certainly have enjoyed studying these few verses, and I hope you do as well.

Let me preface where we are going today and in the days ahead with this - I am not a theologian.  I'm just a Jesus girl who desires deeply to learn more about Him and His Word and I just CAN'T STAND to keep the good stuff to myself!

Let's start our journey in the book of Luke, the gospel with the most detailed account of the birth of Jesus. 

Where was the angel, Gabriel, sent?  He was sent to a city in Galilee called Nazareth. 

Are you ready for your first Christmas gift?  The name Nazareth is so neat!  Let's unwrap it.

Do you know what the name Nazareth means? 

I just love this, it makes my heart all goofy inside.......

Nazareth comes from a Hebrew word meaning a twig or branch, a shoot.

Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus, described in the Old Testament......

Where did Jesus, our Righteous Branch, our Tender Shoot come from? 

He came from Nazareth. 

He was exactly what Nazareth means.

Nazareth the home of the Righteous Branch.

Our God is a God of details.  I don't think it's a coincidence that He placed Jesus, our Savior, the Righteous Branch, the Tender Shoot, in a town whose name meant the same.


Father,  I love how You tuck such wonderful surprises in what may seem ordinary.  You certainly are no ordinary God, You are extraordinary.  Simple places in your Word are often pregnant with meaning and that draws me to want to learn so much more.  Thank You for this early Christmas gift that You allowed me to unwrap in your story of old. 

Make this December one that you'll remember as familiar verses become as fresh as the evergreens of the Christmas season.  I hope you will Join me beginning December 1, 2012 for a series of posts leading us right up to Christmas entitled:

"A December to Remember"