"But I will reply, 'I never knew you. Get away from
me, you who break God's laws.'" Matthew 7:23 NLT
"You can't remember my name, can you?"
Trying to remember the names of sixty middle school
students is challenging. One student's name challenged me to a deeper level. Why
I had trouble remembering her name, I'm not sure. But when I looked at her, my
mind went blank. She learned to recognize my stare, and one day asked me the
above question. I wish I could say it only happened once, but it didn't. She had
a forgettable name.
After I left the school, remembering students' names
got worse. Now I only saw them occasionally. At stores or in local restaurants.
Often, I'd carry on as if I knew their name, then go home and consult my school
yearbook.
I attribute my memory failure to age. Once I reached
the forty mark, names were the first thing that escaped me. Now at fifty-seven,
others things have accumulated, but names are still at the top of things I
forget. Memory is just one of those things that typically languishes as age
increases.
The context from which this verse is taken seems to
say God has memory failure. On judgment day, some will come to Him and profess
what wonderful things they have done in His name only to be told that He doesn't
know them. As if God may forget some who were once His children and confine some
to hell who should go to heaven. Hardly.
God never forgets those He knows, but the know is more
than a casual acquaintance. After all, God created everyone, so obviously He
knows us all. He even knows us before we're born since He's the reason we are
born.
The knowing Jesus refers to has to do with intimacy.
God only intimately knows those who enter a personal relationship with Him
through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. All others, He only knows by name. The
relationship is what causes Him to welcome the ones He knows into His eternal
kingdom. Merely knowing a name won't suffice.
Unlike me, once God knows my name intimately, He never
forgets it. He'll never forget I'm His child, He'll never forget His promises to
take care of my needs, and He'll never forget He has an eternal home prepared
for me.
If you've entered a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ, take comfort. He'll never forget your name.
Prayer: Father, thank You for knowing our names and
welcoming us into your family.
Martin Wiles
Hodges,
South Carolina, USA
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