By You Only

O LORD our God, masters besides You have had dominion over us; But by You only we make mention of Your name.  

Isaiah 26:13 

How is it we arrive in life to the point where we speak boldly of Christ? It is not by our own doing. Because we are not Godward, by nature or by choice, we do not naturally come to the place where we make mention of God. Our spiritual inclinations do not come by our own will. Because we are, by nature spiritually dead, we are the servants of other masters, the world, our own flesh, and Satan. It is only when God intervenes to regenerate us, to give us repentance, faith, and to draw us savingly to Christ, that we begin to declare His name before all people. Therefore, ‘by You only we make mention of Your name.’ This bring us to proclaim Christ’s name first and foremost. It is ‘at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.’ The signature stamp of Apostolic preaching was the preaching of Christ. Preaching which does not make much of Christ, is empty moralism. God enables His proclaimers to make mention of His name to the ends of the earth. Christ is that blessed name.  

Our Gracious God and our Savior, 
we rejoice that Your name is worthy of proclamation. 
We praise You that You have given us the privilege 
of speaking of You.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning