"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Psalms 119:18 (KJV)
In Jesus' Name
The table was set, the food steaming hot, and the guests seated. It was time to eat; but first, the blessing. “Dear Lord, thank you for this food, for friends and family to share it with. … Please bless it to our bodies and use us to serve you today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
How often we have heard the phrase used — in Jesus’ name. Have we ever given much thought as to what it really means? Actually, it can be used in several ways.
When we pray, we come to the Father in Jesus’ name. Why is that necessary? As fallen men, we have no right to request anything of God Almighty. Were it not for Jesus, there would be no fellowship with God at all. Once we are born-again (John 3:3), and have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, we also are accepted by God. He will honor our requests because of His love for Jesus and for all those who belong to Him. We ask all in Jesus’ name.
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commanded his disciples to be witnesses in His name. He would soon go back to heaven (Acts 1:8) because His work on earth was finished. The awesome task of evangelizing the world was left to His church. They would go in the power of the Holy Spirit, but the name they proclaimed was that of Jesus Christ. To this very day, all successful witnessing and missionary work is done in the name of Jesus.
As a believer goes through his daily tasks, he is acting as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. As such, all that he does is done in the name of Jesus. Does he have a good testimony in the community? The credit goes to Jesus. Does he have a reputation for not paying His debts? The blame goes to Jesus. Is he living a life that others would desire to have? If so, many will inquire about his Jesus. If not, he is turning people away from the kingdom of God.
The Bible says in Phillippians 2:9-11, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” We must take seriously all that we do in Jesus’ name; that we may bring much glory to our worthy God.
This article was featured in The Bible View #127.