The Family Name

December 18, 2007

By Jerry Scott

More than a few times in my life, particularly in my teens, I did not give in to peer pressure to do some stupid thing because I heard the echo of my Dad's voice in my mind.

You're a Scott. Take care of that name.

Somehow Dad imbued me with a sense of family honor. We weren't some kind of royals. I wasn't aware of long-standing family traditions, nor did I have emotional connections with a long line of ancestors. Family honor was a powerful factor to me because my family defined my place in this world. I was loved, accepted, nurtured and taught by parents who, in the middle of their own challenges, made sure our family was a solid base.

Home was inviting. My successes were celebrated; my bruises healed. Our table was the center of our social life as we shared much more than food when we gathered each night for dinner. We worshipped together always.

It became a matter of importance to me to honor those who formed my sense of identity. Today, I feel that same sense of love for and honor of the family of God. Many times when temptation comes my way one of the deterrents to giving in is the sense of dishonor my sin would bring to my Lord and to His family, the Church. God has adopted me as His son, given me a name, and included me in His family. His love is shaping me into a person I could not otherwise be and He gives me an identity in this world. My response should not be any less than to love and honor Him.

Peter, in his first letter to the churches, talks about our place in God's great family.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade -- kept in heaven for you. …

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 1:3,4; 2:9,10, NIV).

Believer, you and I are given the family name. And there is no better time of year to remember that truth than this season when we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to join Him in the family of God. As you navigate the joys and stresses of the holiday season, remember the family name you carry thanks to a Savior who joined a humble carpenter's home so many years ago.

-- Jerry D. Scott is senior pastor at Washington (N.J.) Assembly of God.