I Carry His Name

Did you ever waste time or money when you were younger? I can remember wasting so much time, especially when school was out for the summer. I can remember asking my dad or mom for money to spend on something they thought was frivolous. I can remember asking, “Dad, can I have this?” His response was usually the same each time, which was, "Money doesn't grow on trees." My job was to ask for something that costs a lot of money, and his job was to remind me how much it cost, and that he wasn’t going to buy it.
 
I would waste time, I would waste money. I didn't have anything. Even when I was dating Lydia, she had more money than me when we got married. I had nothing. I had last week's paycheck. And of course, I say it was because I spent it all on her!
 
We were married just after we turned 20 years old, and we didn’t have children for a few years. We would spend so much time and so much money on things that were just frivolous. Then something happened in our life that changed us - we had children.
 
Now we are more responsible with our time and money. We work hard and then we invest more time in our family and community. We pay bills to keep the lights on. We pay for doctors’ appointments and dentists’ visits. We save money for the future instead of spending it all today. Now, one of our sons will ask, "Daddy, can I get this?" And what do I say? "Money doesn't grow on trees.” Or, “Do you know how much that costs?” Or, “Why are you wasting so much time on this frivolous activity?” My dad would be proud.
 
Do you remember the day when set aside childish activities and mindsets and started thinking and acting like an adult? You pay your bills on time. You show up for work on time. Now, when you talk with others who are frivolous with their time or frivolous with their money, and complain there isn’t enough time or money, you may tell them, “You’ve got to take responsibility for your life. You've got to stop wasting so much time on frivolous pursuits.”
 
Well, in the same kind of way, Peter is telling the people of God there in these Roman colonies that they need to set aside foolish living. You should live the holy life that God expects you to live. You should no longer live according to the ways of the world or the life that you may have learned from childhood or other people. That old life is no longer yours. You have been transformed by the power of God.
 
The gospel is that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He didn't just pay the penalty for your sin so that you wouldn't have to spend eternity in hell separated from God, but he also set you free from the power of sin. He has set you free to live a holy life. With that in mind, we are to set aside foolish living and live for Jesus Christ, living a different life than the world around us. He makes a difference in our lives, and because He is living His life through us, it will attract other people to it as well. In 1 Peter 1:17-21, there are four antidotes to foolish living. This is a way to begin living the holy life that God expects each of us to live.
 
How can I have the strength to live differently than the lost people around me? There are four antidotes here in 1 Peter 1:17-21.
 
1 Peter 1:17–21 (NKJV)
17And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;
18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,
19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
20He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
21who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
 
 
First, we are accepted by a loving Father.
 
How can we live a life that is pleasing to God despite the pressures of this world? The first thing to understand is that we are accepted by a loving Father. This should impact the way we live our life. He says, “if you call him Father,” but in the original Greek it says, “since you call him Father.” Peter is talking to Christians living in Asia Minor and he's saying, “Because you call God your Father, it should make a difference in your life.”
 
Galatians 4:4–7 (NKJV)
4But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
5to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
6And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
7Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
 
God sent His Son to redeem us so that we might be adopted as His children. As a result, we are no longer slaves but sons and daughters of God. God is not simply our Creator, but because of Jesus, He is our Father.
 
When we identify as Christians, we are essentially aligning ourselves with Christ and representing God to others. People should see the resemblance between us and our heavenly Father. This should lead us to reflect on whether we are truly representing God as His children.
 
The word “Christian” means “like Christ.” It identifies us with the people of God. We are now representing God to others, and people should not be surprised when they find out that we are Christians.
 
How should that impact our everyday life? We should remember that we carry the name Christian wherever we go. Henry Blackaby, author of Experiencing God, shared in a different book entitled Holiness how understanding this truth had kept him living a life of holiness, for the glory of God:
 
One of the great deterrents from going astray when I was a young man was my dear godly father, who was a deacon and a layman. He led more people to Jesus than any other person I have known, including myself. He worked in the business world, but he was one of the most godly men I have ever known. I knew how Dad had paid the price for integrity and righteousness in the business world. One day my dad came to me and my two brothers and said, “Boys, I just want you to know that I spent a lifetime building meaning into my name, and wherever you go, you take my name with you. It has cost me my life to put integrity into my name; now you carry my name with you.” When I was tempted and could have gone astray, I thought of my dear dad, and I said, I couldn’t do that to him. I carry his name, and Dad has a name as a godly Christian businessman. I couldn’t do that to him. For me to sin without regard to the name I carry would be to bring the deepest pain to my father possible, for he sought to honor his Lord by the way he lived. He entrusted his name to me. If that is how I felt concerning my earthly father, how much more serious is it with my heavenly Father?[1]
 
What difference does it make for you to say, “Jesus is my Lord” and “God is my Father”? Being a part of God's family should have an impact on you. The term “Abba, Father” means “Daddy” or “Dear Daddy” – an intimate term between a child and father. God is your heavenly Father, and this realization should lead us to live in a way that represents God to the world around us. People are watching our lives, and they may not understand who God is by simply reading the Bible or listening to a preacher. However, when they see that you're a Christian, your lifestyle should reflect the name you carry. As a Christian, you are representing the name of God Almighty. Therefore, recognize that this is a remedy for living foolishly and for leaving behind the lifestyle that once held you in bondage. God is my heavenly Father, and I am lovingly accepted by Him.
 
“Dear God, I pray that I remember that as I live my life as a Christian, I take Your name with me. I pray that people would not be surprised to hear that I am a follower of Christ. I pray that my life reflects You accurately. I praise You that You are my heavenly Father, and I am accepted by You. I love You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
 
In the next blogpost, we will look at a second antidote to foolish living from this same passage.


[1] Henry Blackaby, Holiness (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 37-38.