{"id":4634,"date":"2019-02-28T11:30:11","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4634"},"modified":"2019-02-28T11:30:11","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:30:11","slug":"whats-in-a-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/whats-in-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s in a Name?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part four of an eleven-part series on \u201cHabits of Highly Successful People\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Habit #3 \u2013 A Highly Successful Person Knows God Personally and Makes Him Known Publicly<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Kevin Riggs
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I go by my middle name\u2014Kevin.\u00a0 I like that name. I think it adequately\u00a0I describes who I am. I think I look\u00a0I like a Kevin. Not going by your first name does, however, cause difficulties\u00a0from time to time. Elementary\u00a0school was one of those times.<\/p>\n

Growing up I tried to keep my first\u00a0name a secret. At least once every\u00a0school year a substitute teacher would\u00a0let my secret out. Not knowing I went\u00a0by my middle name, the substitute\u00a0would call the roll asking for “George\u00a0Riggs.” Everyone would laugh, and I\u00a0would have to endure the taunting,\u00a0“Georgie Porgie, puddin’ and pie,\u00a0kissed the girls and made them cry. . . .”<\/p>\n

If I, as a child, had feelings of humiliation\u00a0and anger when people misused\u00a0my name, can you imagine how\u00a0God must feel every time a person violates\u00a0the third commandment?<\/p>\n

God has a Name<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through the burning bush, God\u00a0called Moses to go to Egypt and deliver\u00a0the Israelites from bondage. Moses\u00a0was not happy about this mission. He\u00a0was scared and unsure. He needed\u00a0some confidence that God would be\u00a0with Him, so he asked, “When I come\u00a0unto the children of Israel, and shall\u00a0say unto them, ‘The God of your fathers\u00a0hath sent me unto you;’ and they\u00a0shall say to me, ‘What is his name?’\u00a0what shall I say unto them?”<\/p>\n

God answered, “l AM That I Am . . .\u00a0Thus shalt thou say unto the children\u00a0of Israel, ‘l AM hath sent me unto\u00a0you.\u2019\u201d I AM; what a strange name.\u00a0What a perfect name! \u00a0God’s name\u00a0signifies eternal existence. By using\u00a0this verb God was proclaiming He\u00a0has always existed, He exists in the\u00a0present, and He will always exist. He\u00a0was saying, “I will be what I will be.”<\/p>\n

The fact that Moses asked God for His\u00a0name is important. The fact that God\u00a0gave Moses His name is extremely important. \u00a0Moses wanted to know God’s\u00a0name because Moses wanted a personal\u00a0relationship with God. God told Moses\u00a0His name because God wanted a personal\u00a0relationship with Moses.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in a Name?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In our culture, as soon as we meet\u00a0someone we introduce ourselves. In Moses’ culture, doing so was unthinkable.\u00a0In that culture a person did not\u00a0throw his name around, and he did not\u00a0give his name to chance acquaintances.\u00a0To give your name was to open yourself\u00a0up to the scrutiny of another person.\u00a0What’s in a name?<\/p>\n

1. <\/strong>A name signifies personhood<\/strong><\/p>\n

My name represents who I am. It\u00a0means I exist. It means I am somebody.\u00a0My name says something about\u00a0my character. My name enables people\u00a0to deal with me as an individual. It\u00a0is for these reasons that I do not like it\u00a0when people make fun of my name.\u00a0God’s name signifies He is a Person\u00a0who wants to be known personally.<\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>A name signifies reputation <\/strong><\/p>\n

Nicknames do this better than real\u00a0names. If I introduced you to my friends\u00a0named “Red” and “Slim,” you would\u00a0automatically know something about\u00a0their reputation. If I refer to someone as\u00a0a “Benedict Arnold” or an “Honest Abe,”\u00a0you would automatically know what I\u00a0mean. Because a name signifies reputation,\u00a0the writer of Proverbs said, \u201cA good\u00a0name is rather to be chosen than great\u00a0riches.\u201d God’s name underscores His\u00a0reputation as a sovereign, holy God.<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong>A name signifies uniqueness <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are many people with the\u00a0name, “Kevin.” Chances are there is\u00a0even someone else named “Kevin\u00a0Riggs.” But I doubt if there is anyone\u00a0else in the whole world named,\u00a0“George Kevin Riggs.” I know l am the\u00a0only Mr. Misty Riggs. (Just so there is no confusion, Misty is my wife\u2019s name). No matter what\u00a0a person’s name, and no matter how\u00a0many people may share that name,\u00a0each name signifies uniqueness.\u00a0There is only one you. There is only\u00a0one God, and He is the great I Am.<\/p>\n

4. <\/strong>A name signifies authority<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A \u00a0volunteer in my\u00a0church’s children’s worship once told me that\u00a0when my son, Zachary, acts up, all they\u00a0have to do is say, “I’m going to tell your\u00a0daddy,” and he straightens up. “Daddy”\u00a0carries authority, even when daddy is\u00a0not around. Likewise, God’s name carries with it authority and respect.<\/p>\n

5. <\/strong>A name signifies relationship <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The most important aspect of\u00a0God’s name is that it signifies His desire\u00a0to be known by us. God wants to\u00a0have a relationship with you and me.\u00a0God desires to be known, and He\u00a0has made Himself known by His\u00a0name. God has introduced Himself\u00a0to me and wants me to know Him\u00a0and make Him known to others.<\/p>\n

The Third Commandment<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Third Commandment reads,\u00a0“Thou shalt not take the name of the\u00a0Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will\u00a0not hold him guiltless that taketh his\u00a0name in vain.”<\/p>\n

When I was growing up, I was convinced\u00a0that taking the Lord’s name in\u00a0vain was so serious a violation that\u00a0God would strike me dead the very\u00a0moment I did so. However, misusing\u00a0the name of God goes far beyond using\u00a0it in profanity. The word “vain”\u00a0means to abuse or misuse.<\/p>\n

When I call out to God without\u00a0committing myself to Him, and when I\u00a0want His power without being personally\u00a0changed, I am taking the name of\u00a0God and treating it as if it were nothing.\u00a0As a Christian, when I claim to be one\u00a0thing but by my actions prove to be another,\u00a0I am breaking this Commandment.\u00a0When I am hypocritical, I give\u00a0God a bad name.<\/p>\n

When I try to manipulate God\u00a0through my selfish prayers, I am abusing\u00a0God’s name. My selfish prayers do nothing\u00a0more than teat God like a genie in a\u00a0lamp. I once heard a person put it this\u00a0way, “The reason our prayers are so ineffective\u00a0is because we have put all our\u00a0begs in one ask-it.” When I try to bargain with\u00a0God, I am misusing His name\u00a0and violating the Third Commandment.<\/p>\n

My irreverence toward the sacred is\u00a0another way I violate this Commandment.\u00a0When I come to worship each\u00a0week unprepared to enter into God’s\u00a0presence and when I approach worship\u00a0in an insincere matter, I violate the\u00a0Third Commandment.<\/p>\n

As a pastor, when I stand before\u00a0the people to proclaim “a word from\u00a0God,” but I have not spent my time\u00a0with God in His Word, I am taking His\u00a0name in vain. When I stand in front\u00a0of God, take vows, make promises\u00a0and then break them, I have misused\u00a0and abused the name of the Lord.<\/p>\n

Habit #3 <\/strong><\/p>\n

The most basic, and most overlooked,\u00a0lesson behind the Third Commandment\u00a0is the fact that God has a\u00a0name. He has revealed Himself to\u00a0me. He is knowable, and He wants\u00a0me to know Him. God created me to\u00a0have a relationship with Him, and He\u00a0provided the way for that relationship\u00a0through Jesus. Furthermore, God has\u00a0given me the responsibility to make\u00a0Him known to others.<\/p>\n

Now that I understand what the\u00a0Third Commandment is, what is the\u00a0third habit? The third habit is: A highly\u00a0successful person knows God personally\u00a0and makes Him known publicly<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The whole Bible can be summarized\u00a0in one sentence: Through faith in\u00a0Jesus, anyone can be brought back into\u00a0a right relationship with God.<\/em>God already knows\u00a0me. Now He wants me to\u00a0know Him, and He wants me to make\u00a0Him known to others.” lf I desire to be\u00a0a success, I will strive to know God intimately,\u00a0and I will work hard to make\u00a0Him known to others. It is impossible\u00a0to know God and make Him known,\u00a0and at the same time be a failure.<\/p>\n

What about you? Is your life truly a\u00a0success? The message behind the\u00a0Third Commandment is that God\u00a0loves you. He knows you and wants to\u00a0be known by you. God has given you\u00a0His name. Don’t abuse it or misuse it.\u00a0Instead, get to know God better and\u00a0make Him known to others.<\/p>\n

Article adapted from Contact<\/em>magazine, April 2002.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part four of an eleven-part series on \u201cHabits of Highly Successful People\u201d Habit #3 \u2013 A Highly Successful Person Knows God Personally and Makes Him Known Publicly By Kevin Riggs I go by my middle name\u2014Kevin.\u00a0 I like that name. I think it adequately\u00a0I describes who I am. I think I look\u00a0I like a Kevin. Not going by your first name does, however, cause difficulties\u00a0from time to time. Elementary\u00a0school was one of those times. Growing up I tried to keep my first\u00a0name a secret. At least once every\u00a0school year a substitute teacher would\u00a0let my secret out. Not knowing I went\u00a0by my middle name, the substitute\u00a0would call the roll asking for “George\u00a0Riggs.” Everyone would laugh, and I\u00a0would have to endure the taunting,\u00a0“Georgie Porgie, puddin’ and pie,\u00a0kissed the girls and made them cry. . . .” If I, as a child, had feelings of humiliation\u00a0and anger when people misused\u00a0my name, can you imagine how\u00a0God must feel every time a person violates\u00a0the third commandment? God has a Name Through the burning bush, God\u00a0called Moses to go to Egypt and deliver\u00a0the Israelites from bondage. Moses\u00a0was not happy about this mission. He\u00a0was scared and unsure. He needed\u00a0some confidence that God would be\u00a0with Him, so he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4635,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4634\/revisions\/4635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}