Last night I stopped watching a Korean drama series and my wife asked why I didn’t watch another episode. I told her I needed time for my devotional. I thought about saying “so GOD won’t forget my name” but that was so far from reality I didn’t want to joke about it. Others might forget me, but not GOD.
The world remembers great people by honoring them with holidays, statues, monuments and by naming things and places after them. Most of these honors are bestowed after people die. With all the places in the United States named after George Washington, his name won’t be forgotten, but some say he wasn’t perfect and want to forget what he did for our country.
I see celebrities making sure they aren’t forgotten. They have to stay in the public eye by keeping their name in the news or on television to maintain their popularity, so they can demand more money for their performances. If they are out of sight for too long, their popularity and income fade with our memory of them.
Politicians have similar motivations. They get their positions by popular vote and begin preparing for the next election as soon as the previous one ends. They want their name attached to anything they can use to get more votes. Fortunes are spent on advertising so voters remember them with a positive spin on what they have done. They can’t afford modesty and are not shy about “tooting their own horn.” Accuracy isn’t as important as getting your vote. If the politician’s name is forgotten, their opponents will fill the void and win the next election.
One name we don’t want to forget is GOD. How could that happen? When people forget what GOD has done, they essentially forget His name. If they don’t remember how much GOD loves them, they don’t give Him the honor He is due. Jews won’t even say His name out of reverence. We can’t fully understand how great GOD is, but we should tremble with excitement when we read “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Most will rush through that verse or skip it because it is so familiar. Have we forgotten what that gift means to us and how great the name of GOD is?
We can’t begin to express the meaning of the name of JESUS CHRIST. Many have forgotten the importance of that precious name and His other names. What about MESSIAH, SON OF GOD, and KING OF KINGS? His position is so exalted and we are so lowly, but HE loves us so much he died so we could join His family. What about HEALER, BREAD OF LIFE, and MY PROVIDER? We should remember those names and the benefits found in them. How can you forget MASTER, SAVIOR, and LAMB OF GOD? Would you forget the name of a person who saved your natural life? They could only postpone your death, but JESUS died that you might have eternal life. Nothing else compares to what He did for you! Remember, “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name…that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9 – 11 KJV). Don’t forget His name, because He didn’t forget yours!
Wayne Lance