Are you proclaiming the blessed name of Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
    “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
    “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
    “Hosanna in the highest!”
(Matthew 21:9 (NIV))

I have read this passage many times, and I am fully aware of the events that led up to this as well as the events that follow. We, as the Body of Christ, have the good fortune to be able to see these events in hindsight with a very good understanding of what was happening, but something caught my attention today that made me stop and think!

Let me explain.

We all know that Jesus split time. All that you have to do is take a look at our calendar to understand this concept.

B.C. and A.D. refer only to Jesus!

Before Jesus came into the world, we also had no opportunity for grace. We had no opportunity to be cleansed of our sins. During this time, those in the know were looking for a Savior to redeem us to God. They were looking for the Blessed One who would come in the name of the Lord! They were looking for the one whom the prophets foretold. Since Jesus has come into the world, lived, was crucified, dead and buried, and was resurrected on the third day, we have the glorious ability to call Jesus the Blessed One because He came in the name of the Lord. We have the ability to praise His name because He fulfilled everything that the prophets had foretold!

He now sits at the right hand of God, the Father, interceding for those who proclaim Him as their personal Lord and Savior!

The events that we refer to as Palm Sunday that are recorded in Matthew 21 show us the pivotal moment in which humanity crossed from looking for the one who would come in the name of the Lord to proclaiming the one who has come in the name of the Lord. Those who went before Him in the procession were announcing His coming just as the prophets had announced it. Those who followed after Him in the procession were proclaiming that He is here! That is a job that the Body of Christ should have been doing ever since this event. We should be shouting, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” We should be shouting, “Hosanna in the highest!” Jesus is Lord!

Are you proclaiming the blessed name of Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
(Matthew 21:9 (NIV))

Have you ever really stopped to think about this passage? To be specific, let’s focus on, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

What does that mean to you?

Be honest with yourself.

Obviously, it refers to Jesus, but what about this passage makes you envision Jesus? What blessings does He have and does He share these blessings?

Jesus was not only blessed, He brought blessings. The Lord God sent Him into this world to fulfill the promises that God had made. God’s promises are not empty. Jesus fulfilled many and will fulfill even more upon His return.

I want you to think about this passage from another perspective. Let me lay the groundwork.

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
(John 14:12-14 (NIV))

Jesus was blessed because He came in the name of the Lord.

Think about that. Is it possible that we, too, “come in the name of the Lord?” We profess a faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior. If our actions truly reflect what God desires of us, and we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, it is not too difficult to consider that we do come in the name of the Lord, just not in the same way that Jesus did.

There is a disclaimer to what I suggest, and that is that when we place anything before God we are no longer following His will. At that point, we are there in our name and not in the name of the Lord.

When was the last time that you totally surrendered to what God was calling you to do? When you walked in His Will, things went great. God opened up opportunities for you to be His witness and, as a result, just like Jabez, you were blesses so that others could be blessed.

What happens when you take your eyes off of Jesus? Do things go anywhere near how you envisioned them going?

I am not saying that we are anywhere near Jesus, but what I am saying is that when we totally surrender to God, and follow His Will, we are blessed so that others will be blessed.

Have you been a blessing to others?

Copyright 1998 – 2012 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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