Hello. My name is Robert. The name Robert is a German baby name. In German
the meaning of the name Robert is: Famed, bright; shining. Wow! I had no
idea!! Wait a minute…….that is a lot to live up to! It makes me wonder
if this is what my parents had in mind when they named me. Imagine…..”This
is our son and he shall me famed, bright and shining in this world!” Somehow
I don’t think that my naming had that level of grandeur surrounding it. Like
most of us, my parents probably just liked the sound of that name and so
Robert I became. It does seem though that in days of old, what people were
called, or what a place was called mattered more to those who were naming
it. For example, we are all probably familiar with the meaning of the name
of Philadelphia -“brotherly love”. Yet some don’t feel that the name
Philadelphia really fits the city too well anymore (and some question if it
ever did). The fact of the matter is that the city of Philadelphia that we
know was not the first Philadelphia. The original Philadelphia was founded
about 150 years before the birth of Christ. The man who founded the city was
a king named Attalus II, and he had such affection for his brother that the
city came to be called Philadelphia. Do you see what I mean? Names had
meaning back them and some people were very purposeful in their choosing. It
is also true that for some, their name meant a lot to them. It was something
to aspire to. For example, if my name mattered a lot to me I would be
aspiring to live a life that was bright and shining in this world.
The truth is that I do try to live up to the meaning of my name, but not
because I am named Robert but because my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls
Christians to be lamps, lights, and a city on a hill. Here is one example
from the scriptures:
“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become
blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked
generation.”[
Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast
on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.” Philippians
2:14-16
What a call for one’s life as a Christian – to do everything without
grumbling or complaining. I am definitely going to need to be filled with
The Spirit all the time for that one if I am going to “shine among them”.
God also calls believers royal priests, a holy nation, ministers of
reconciliation, a people for God’s own possession who are called to proclaim
His excellencies and who are His children. May I ask you to just read that
sentence again? Pretty amazing, huh?
Okay, so let’s try this out based on our new names.
I, (Fill in your name), am called by God to shine among people, to be a
priest, to be holy, and a minister of reconciliation who is called to
proclaim His excellencies.
I don’t know how much your name matters to you but my prayer is that what
God has called us (and called us to do) matters much more to us than our
earthly name. I am convinced that if we got up each day, considered what God
has called us, prayed over it, and then set out (hopefully in the power of
the Holy Spirit) to live it out, our days would bring much greater glory to
God.
Beloved, don’t get overwhelmed with sadness or disappointment if you are not
living up to some of the things God has called you. He is a God of grace and
mercy and if you tell Him that you want to live for His name because of what
He has called you, He will help you.
For Him,
Rob