What's in a Name?

What's in a name, what does it represent?

Are you named after someone? An ancestor, someone famous? Or is your name some what orginal to your family?

If you were named after someone, what were they like, were they someone you could look up to and respect?
Or were they someone in whom you would be disgraced or embarassed to be associated?

When or even if you have children and grandchildren will they be able to look at your life and say: "I really respected this person, they lived an honorable life and I want to honor them by passing on their name." ?

Look at the businesses in your community, how many of them carry the name of the owner? How many of those are built on integrity and honesty? I think most businesses that carry a persons name encourages integrity by all their employees, as the work they produce represents the person whose name is on the business. When you do business with others and are required to give your name, are you proud to say my name is and I work for... or are you ashamed to say your name is and I work for....as they may have heard a few bad things about you, or the company in which you do business for?

How many have named their children after themselves, I wonder if they have thought: based on my actions and my life choices will my child have to live down my reputation? Or will they have to live up to a certain standard, in which they may never be able to?

Jesus, had His own Name and it stood for many things; He wasn't called God Jr., or Joseph Jr. He was Jesus, Immanuel, God is with us, Christ. The Son of the Living God. A name in which He built His own reputation, a name that represents Honesty, Love, Integrity, Truth, Justice, Compassion, Forgiveness, and so many other things.

When people think of your name, what do they think? Do think that louse, they never cared for anyone but themselves? Or do they say what a wonderful person, they always treated everyone they met with honor and respect?

What will your obituary say about you? I've read a few obituaries in the past one of which said "She was a Godly woman, a praying woman, taught her children Gods ways" and her husbands said much the same about him, He shared the love of Christ where ever he went. But then there was another one that said this man was a member of this gulf club, and that social organization, but nothing of a love for Christ. In reading those, I began to wonder what will be said about me? What will my children say? My other family and friends? Will they say my lifes walk matched my words?

As Christians, we carry the name of Christ, so we should ask ourselves, do we bring honor or shame to His name? Do our actions and words reflect the name in which we say is ours? Do they reflect the name of Christ
and all that His name represents?