Colossians 3:17 AMP – And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus andin [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.
One of the very first questions that I ask when I begin to work with someone regarding their Estate Planning is: “What is your name, please?” It is important for me to know to whom I am speaking. Just about everything else depends on the answer to this very question. It is important to know who you are because it is the major factor in how you plan and how you lead your life. Your name tells you (and others) how you see yourself.
By asking someone’s name I find out a lot of information. If someone tells me just their first name, they are less formal than someone who tells me their full legal name. Some folks emphasize their last names because they are proud of their family heritage. Some people have nick names which add character to the person. Some individuals add credentials to their name such as “Dr.” or “Esq.” Some men are named after their fathers and designate themselves as “Jr.” or a numeral like “III” or “IV”.
In all of these examples, it is clear that one’s name is important and helps define who a person is. Just as our natural names are important and help us to know who we are, our spiritual name is even more important. This is one of the most forgotten parts of our planning. We clearly indicate our natural names and do this on a consistent basis. Yet, the real person is our spirit that just happens to be living inside of our fleshly bodies. That spirit is the real you and me.
Consider the following verse about the importance of the name you use:
Colossians 3:17 AMP – And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.
This verse tells me that EVERYTHING I do needs to be done with the consciousness of knowing that I am doing it using Christ’s name as my own. We should do all things in the name of Jesus Christ and on the dependence of His person. Why? Because His name is our name and with that comes the power that we need to do all that we need to do.
When we made the decision to be “born again” and decided to believe in Jesus, then our old spiritual name was changed to a new spiritual name. This is because we have a covenant with Jesus. We have a blood covenant with Him and that means that we have exchanged our names. He took our old sinful names (sin, death, sickness, worry, failure, poverty, just to name a few) and gave us his perfect righteous and redeemed name to use. Because of this, His name is our name.
Did you know that Christ really means “anointed one”. Think of your self as Sally, the anointed one or for me, Crystal, the anointed one. That means that we can accomplish what we are set out and called to do because of who the name we use (who we are). I like to think about all the names throughout the Bible that are mine now:
“Jesus, Mighty God, Wisdom, Deliverer, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Word of Life, Advocate, Provider, The Great I Am, Helper, Savior, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Lamb of God, Lord of Hosts, Root of David, Author and Finisher of our Faith, The Way, Healer, Son of God, The Truth, Chief Cornerstone, King of Kings, Light of the World, Chief Shepherd, My Strength and Song, Righteous Judge, Son of Righteousness, Resurrection and Life, The Alpha and Omega.”
One definition of the word “define” is to be marked by it’s boundaries. In this context, this means that if my name defines me, I am marked by it’s boundaries. Therefore, if I am to use Christ’s name and it is mine, then what my boundaries were before are now no longer.
When you introduce yourself the next time, think about who you really are and what that means. You aren’t just poor ole Joe. You are who God says you are and Jesus’ name is yours. That is your name and identity.
This is a very important concept to apply to EVERYTHING you do and say.
For example, if I walk out to the mailbox today forgetting who I am in Christ, I merely walk out as little ole me wondering what mail that I am getting today. However, if I walk out as who I actually am, Crystal the anointed one, I am ready for all of the wonderful mail that I am about to open! This simple example shows the powerful principle that affects the activities of how we as born again believers cannot successfully accomplish with our life’s purpose without using Christ’s name. Without using Christ’s name, we cannot effectively, critically, logically, and most importantly powerfully accomplish and think about all things in life.
Without using Christ’s name, my only other option is to not use it and be defeated most of the time. Or, at the most, I have to rely on positive thinking which is far different that what Colossians 3:17 is telling me to do.
There is a very important distinction that I want to make here. I like to think of positive thinking as straining hard to wish for something. Notice that positive thinking is not hope. Hope is linked with faith and has a firm foundation which is in Christ. While doing my life’s work (God’s will) and planning to successfully accomplish my life’s work (successfully in life and with a legacy upon death) using Christ’s name to accomplish it is the most powerful method because I am resting in Christ’s finished work to fulfill WHATEVER I say and do and it will come to pass. In my practice and in my life, it affects everything that I think about regarding Estate Planning (which is planning for EVERYTHING).
This is a critical point because I, of course, want my plans to come to pass if I have spent time and energy creating them. Using Christ’s name as my own (by faith) causes that to happen. So, in WHATEVER we say and do, let’s use our real name to define us and allow the power in that name to fulfill and accomplish our tasks and plans. BASED ON FAITH.