You shall call His name Jesus… They shall call His name Immanuel. — Matthew 1:21, Matthew 1:23
There is an interesting psychology in the naming of our children. Some are named with family names to retain a family heritage. I am often asked what O. S. stands for, and I am quick to say, “Omar Sharif.” But the truth is, my initials represent family names — Otis Swafford. And now you know why I use O. S. on the covers of my books. Others are named for an attribute their parents desire their child to achieve in life: Faith or Hope, for example.
In the Bible, names have specific meanings. Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter because he saw the potential for him to be a “rock.” Joseph’s name was changed to Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”) because every time he had center stage, he was encouraging the early believers.
During these days let’s pause to think of the names given to our Lord. The mission of Christmas is in His name: Jesus. And the message of Christmas is in His name as well: Immanuel.
Code Word: NAME
What does your name mean? The next time you sign a check or a note and look at your name, think about it. Names matter… and the one name that is above all others is Jesus!
Lord, help me wear the name “Christian” with integrity and honor today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Excerpted with permission from The Christmas Code by O. S. Hawkins, copyright O. S. Hawkins.
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Your Turn
The name Immanuel means God with us. Isn’t that beautiful? In His very name, Jesus came to proclaim that He is with us forever and will never, ever leave us. Come share with us on our blog what that means to you. We want to hear! ~ Devotionals Daily
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About the Author: O. S. Hawkins
O. S. Hawkins is president and chief executive officer of GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. GuideStone serves more than 250,000 individual participants from churches, missionary organizations, colleges and universities, hospitals, and other nonprofit institutions with their financial and benefit service needs. GuideStone Funds is the largest Christian-based mutual fund in the world with assets under management of over 20 billion dollars. Prior to the beginning of his tenure at GuideStone in 1997, Hawkins served as senior pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas (1993--1997) and as senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (1978--1993) as well as earlier pastorates in Oklahoma.
Hawkins, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, earned the Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. He also earned the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, he holds the Doctorate of Literature degree from Liberty University (Hon.) as well as several other honorary doctorate degrees.
He has been married to his wife, the former Susan Cavness of Austin, Texas, since 1970. They have two daughters, Wendy and Holly, both of whom are also graduates of TCU. Wendy is married to Brian Hermes and Holly is married to David Shivers. The Hawkins’s also have six grandchildren.
Dr. Hawkins is the author of over 40 books including the best-selling “Code Series” with over two million in print, including The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses every Believer Should Know, The Jesus Code: 52 Scripture Questions Every Believer Should Answer, and The Bible Code: Finding Jesus in Every Book in the Bible.
Follow O. S. Hawkins on Twitter @OSHawkins. For free videos, podcasts, and book downloads, visit www.oshawkins.com.
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