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In The Name Of The Lord

                 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17) 

 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. (Romans 2:23-24)

          “I claim this land in the name of…”

          Another way of saying the same thing? Put up a flagpole. The moon belongs to the United States. Of course, we’ve been gone so long, and a territorial dispute on the moon would be horrifically expensive – not worth it. But you get the point. When we do something “in the name of,” we are acting as their representative. We are doing or saying something on his/her behalf,  based on his/her supposed authority.

          In a sense, it’s a dodge of responsibility. I’m not doing this myself – he/she is the one with whom you have the argument.  But then he/she can hold you responsible for what you do to his/her reputation, so it’s a huge responsibility.

          So, whatever you do and whatever you say, do it and say it as Christ’s representative. What you say and do, others are free to attribute to Him. Your words and deeds result in His reputation. And keep in mind that doing nothing and saying nothing is still doing and saying something that will reflect on Christ’s reputation. And if what you are going to do or to say will tarnish His reputation, perhaps you should refrain, or at least make it known that the actions/words are yours alone. “I do not claim this in the name of Jesus. I claim it in my own!” Otherwise, the second passage above may be true of you or me. It is too often true for each of us.

          But let’s move on with the verse. We’re to give thanks to the Father through Christ. If this had nothing to do with the previous phrase, why is it connected. We are to do and say what we say in Jesus’ name and thank God for it. Do we think God won’t notice when we do or say what we should not, claim that we are acting on His Son’s authority, and thank Him?

          Yes, let’s act in Jesus’ name. Let’s claim things in Jesus name – meaning that whatever the thing is belongs to Him, and be careful that we don’t lose track of that fact as we make use of it.

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