GOD KNOWS YOUR NAME

LIGHT FOR THE WAY
   (Daily Devotional)

Teusday 5th April 2016

Topic: God Knows Your Name

Text: "And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a
man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of
custom… (Matthew 9:9)."

If you read through the different Gospel accounts
of when Jesus called Matthew, His disciple, they
each tell a slightly different but similar story. In
Luke’s account, it records Jesus seeing a
publican named Levi (see Luke 5:27-28).
Publicans were considered sinners, and the name
Levi comes from the Hebrew name for the
Levites, which means to be twined. It speaks of
the intertwining seen between borrowing and
lending and obviously the bondage involved with
the two. Mark’s account of Jesus’
call to Matthew is similar in that he is also
referred to as Levi (see Mark 2:14). Notice how
both Mark and Luke see Matthew as the publican
named Levi, which indicates they saw him as an
insignificant individual.
However, Matthew’s account of himself is much
different. Matthew says Jesus saw a man. He
didn’t see a publican or sinner, He saw a person.
Then he notes that Jesus saw Matthew. The
name Matthew means gift. He didn’t see Levi,
the person intertwined with problems. Jesus saw
a real human being, a gifted individual with great
potential, named Matthew.
That revelation propelled Matthew, this one-time
publican, into Kingdom greatness. Realize that
your name is known in Heaven today and Jesus
sees a special person who is being propelled into
Kingdom greatness!

PRAYER
Lord, I thank You that my name is special in
heaven. You know me by name! Even the angels,
when they hear my name spoken, are working to
help me. Thank You, Lord, for the peace of
knowing that my name is always recognized!
Amen.

1 YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN

Deuteronomy 1-2; Luke 9:57-65; Luke 10:1-24; Psalm 41:1-6