Named and Claimed

Named and Claimed

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

Revelation 3:12

We have been considering the practical implications of adoption. Our text for today touches upon that in a delightful way. Christ is speaking to the church in Philadelphia. As He concludes His remarks, He states our text for today, ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.’ Certainly, this is one of the benefits of God’s adopting us into His family. When we adopt children into our own family, we, in essence, ‘name them and claim them,’ to use a common phrase in a completely different way. It is not uncommon for a newly adopted child to receive, a new given name, as well as, of course, the family name, which is ‘new’ to them. By doing so, the adopting parents are ‘naming and claiming’ this child as their own. So God does to us. All that God intended when He ‘predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself,’ He has, and will, infallibly perform.  Because He has, ‘chosen us in (Christ) before the foundation of the world,’. He will bring us all the way to make us ‘a pillar in the temple of my God…and…will write upon him the name of my God.’ This is a great encouragement to those of us who often feel as if we are without the ‘family support’ that others seem to have. It is a great encouragement to know that the God of Heaven, and the Christ of God both name us and claim us as their Own. With this in mind, we can face the day.

Our most Gracious and Loving Heavenly Father,
we rejoice today, that You both name us and claim us as Your Own.
Fill our vision today, full of Christ, our Elder Brother,
that we might grow to be more like Him.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning