“He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out.” John10:3
Do you like the sound of your own name? Most of us like it when people call us by name. It suggests to us that they know us and recognize as an individual.
I grew up on a farm and we named all of our cows as well. They had both a name and number and we kept records of each of them as individual cows. I knew each of them, including their habits, temperament, and how much milk each one produced.
Now think about our God. He knows each one of us personally by name. His books are large enough to hold a lifetime record of each of the billions of people who live on earth. He knows each of us including the number of hairs on our head. And He loves each one of us.
When Jesus lived on this earth, He had time for individuals. Nathaniel was amazed that Jesus had taken notice of him, and that He knew all about his life. Zacchaeus was amazed that when he was sitting in a tree that Jesus would look up to him and call him by his name. He said he wanted to visit Zacchaeus in his house.
Our Saviour knows us and cares about our individual needs. Even though we function collectively with others, our relationship with the Lord is a personal, individual experience. Each one of us needs to initiate a relationship with our loving Father.
🙏Father, thank you for knowing and loving each one of us in this world. Help us to accept Jesus as our personal Saviour who died on the cross to save us from our sins. Help me to develop a relationship with Him and to be a student of His Word. In His name I pray.
Amen