Beautiful Name

I like my name. Bonnie is not a common name, and it means beautiful. My mom said she named me after her best friend when she was young. From my point of view, my name is pretty nice. But the name Bonnie does not really tell you much about who I am; there is no definition of my personhood, history, or future. For that you need to use some other words like wife, mom, friend, believer, planner, decision-maker, explorer, or my current favorite, nana.

However, my name is nothing compared to Jesus. In fact, Paul told the Philippians that God gave Jesus the name that is above every name; and that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth. (Philippians 2) I never heard of anyone bowing down to my name!

If you do a Google image search for the name of Jesus, you will find many artistic compilations of some of the names used for Jesus. Messiah, truth, word, gift of God. Words that describe who Jesus is, names that define how He interacts with us, and phrases to clarify His position. Names that tell the past, present, and future beautifully wrapped up in the name I AM.  At the mention of His name, the enemy must flee from us, and the lost are saved.

Then there are names that help me know Jesus in my day-to-day life:
When I am lost, He is The Way
When I am fearful, He is the Power of God
When I sin, He is the Friend of Sinners
When I am sick, He is the Physician
When I am sad, He is the Man of Sorrows
When I am spiritually hungry, He is Living Bread
When I am broken by life, He is Counselor
When I need wisdom, He is Teacher
When I face death, He is Eternal Life
When I need a safe place, He is Sanctuary
When I am held hostage by life, He is my Ransom
When things are dark, He is the Bright and Morning Star
When I am ashamed, He is Holy

No wonder Paul said His name was above every other name. The Bible used so many names for Jesus so we could know Him, understand Him and be close to Him. Jesus was never meant to be far away from us. He came to earth to understand us, to make himself known to us, and to suffer with us. Jesus longs for us to call out His name.
I encourage you to spend some time this week exploring the many names of Jesus in the Bible. We may be familiar with names like Redeemer and Good Shepherd, but what about Seed of the Woman, Second Man, and Rock of Offense? The Bible gave us the many names of Jesus so we could know Him better. Surely Jesus is the most beautiful name I know.
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In His Name, Bonnie

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Bonnie Piovesan