Carrying Names

What does it mean to carry a name?

Funny thing is- we do it all the time. Every day. Every second. We all carry the "name" of something or even someone.

We carry the name of Apple and Steve Jobs because we carry around our Macs, iPhones, iPads, iPods- etc.
We carry the name of the name brands of the clothes that we wear.
We carry the name of sports teams we pull for and their merchandise that we wear.

So why is it so hard for us Christians to carry the name of Jesus? When it comes to being a Christian, why do we back down when it comes to carrying the name of Jesus? We can wear cross necklaces and bracelets and wear a T- shirt from a Christian band- don't get me wrong, those aren't bad things- but is that all we do to carry His name? Just go to church and post a Bible verse on Facebook and wear Christian branded things?

When we carry a name, we talk about it. For example:
"Hey man where'd you get that shirt?"
"Oh I got it at Hollister. It wasn't cheap but it was a gift. Looks good doesn't it?"

WHAT IF OUR CONVERSATIONS WENT MORE LIKE THIS:

"Hey man where'd you get your constant joy?"
"Oh ya know, Jesus. The price He paid for me to have this joy wasn't cheap but it's the best gift I've ever received besides the fact that when He paid the price to give me this joy, it also covered the cost of my sins."


When we carry the name of Jesus we should do it with such urgency to make His name and His love and His grace known to those we come in contact with on a daily basis.
When we carry His name we should be completely UNASHAMED to do so. We should carry it without fear of being persecuted because when we are covered by the blood of Jesus who CONQUERED death and hell itself, there isn't a single thing we should live in fear of; His name is so great and mighty that we can't wrap our small little minds around it; His name is so incredibly worthy of our proclamation of and get this:

God doesn't need us to carry His name or to make it great. God is God and He doesn't "need" anyone to defend Him. He can glorify Himself by Himself if He wanted to... 

but that's not at all what He wanted. 

He CHOSE to give you and I life and a voice and multitude of ways to communicate. It's our duty as His servants to carry His name and make His name known throughout the entire world and to those around us.

So I have a question for the one or two of you that are reading this-
How Do You Carry The Name Of Jesus?


John 1:14
John 14:13