Thursday, November 11, 2010

Little King and the Countess

Ryan's lesson last night was on the third commandment. Do not take the Lord's name in vain. Ryan went on to say that it is not just saying curse words or replying to a hammer hitting your thumb. It applies in any misuse of God's name. We take His name in vain when we do not stand up for it when others misuse it. We are God's hearalds. When we disobey God, God's name is marred because we, as Christians, are attached to His name.

The reason God's name is so important is that it has meaning. In the Bible times, a family thought long and hard when naming their child. Names had great meaning back then. Today, parents do not really think about the meanings behind the names. They pick what sounds cute. Back in Bible times, when God called out and set apart his people, he changed their name.

Some examples are Abram to Abraham. Sarai to Sarah. Jacob to Israel. Saul to Paul. These name changes meant something. Sarah means "princess". The name is fitting because through her many great nations came forth.

Ryan's name means "little king." It is ironic, yet fitting that he married a Contessa, Italian for countess. When thinking of a name for our son, we decided that we wanted his name to mean something. Christian Chadwick was chosen for a number of reasons. The first was the actual meaning behind the names. Christian means "follower of Christ." We both have one goal, to raise him through the knowledge and teaching of God. Chadwick originally meant "from the warrior's tow" or "protector and defender". We want to not only raise him up in God's Word, we want him to be a mighty warrior for God!

So you see, names have meaning. We should be mindful of that meaning. God's name is the name above all names. We should be defenders and protectors of such a mighty, holy name.

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