What's in a Name?

Jesus is speaking to His disciples in John chapter 15 and He speaks a powerful word over them:
13Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.14You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.15No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
The references God makes toward us, the names He has called us, tell a story about the type of relationship we have with Him and the love that He has expressed toward us.  He has called us "friends".   Even though we serve Him, He wants us to know that we are closer that merely servants - He has loved us so greatly that He laid down His life for us, and wants us to experience true friendship with Him.   Proverbs tells us that there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and Jesus is the One who is always with us and calls us into sweet fellowship with Him.   We do pursue servanthood toward God as we walk in obedience, but by extending that name, "friend", to us, He is designating that He wants us to walk closely with Him each day, and we can know that He is with us.

In Isaiah 43, we see a passage that reassures us that God knows us, we belong to Him, and that He has called us by name:
1But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.3For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior...

Now that several mysteries have been solved concerning the first child of Prince William and Duchess Kate in London - time and place were definitely up in the air - the serious business of choosing a name for the heir to the British throne continues.   And, within the royal family, it has not always been a swift process. It took Charles and Diana a week to name William: William Arthur Philip Louis, which is the full name of the young man known as the Duke of Cambridge. Prince Charles was named after a month.

There is often great significance in the naming of a child, royal or otherwise.   The middle name Arthur, shared by Wills and his father Charles, implies strength, British legend, Camelot - all that good stuff.   There has been speculation that George could be a leading name for the new heir...hearkening back into the history of the throne.    Charles' full name is Charles Philip Arthur George - Philip is, of course, his father and William's grandfather.  Names often incorporate family history:   I was named after 2 of my grandfathers.   My children incorporate family traditions into their names, as well.

Names can tell stories and names can describe desirable character traits.   God renamed Abram and called him, Abraham, designating and certifying he would become the father of many nations.  He changed his grandson Jacob's name to Israel, the name used to describe God's chosen nation.   Jesus said that Simon would be called Peter, which means "rock", signifying that on the rock of God's truth, He would build His church and reinforcing Peter's leadership role in that process.  

And, there is power in the name of Jesus - His name is the one that is above all other names, and at His name, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.   When we call on His name and take authority over evil in His name, there is great power that is released.   Only in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ are we saved, according to Romans chapter 10.

Isaiah 43 says that we belong to Him and that He knows us by name.  And, when you think about the names that He has called us, it paints a picture of our true identity in Christ.   He has called us children and heirs.   While we do serve Him and are therefore servants of the Most High, He has said that we are His friends.   We have been called saints of God.    You get the picture - we can actually get a greater sense of our identity in Christ as we think about the names He has given us.   And, we gain insight into His identity as we think upon the glorious names by which He is known.

A name tells a story - a name is often centered on character.   Perhaps family ties are incorporated into our names, and we desire for our children to act in a manner that honors the family name.  And, so God calls us to act in a way that brings glory to His name.