"To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." ~Jesus
Yesterday, I heard a wonderful guest speaker give a sermon about Joshua and his life. One of the things that really struck me was the realization that Moses had given him his name. His original name was Hoshea when Moses sent him to spy out the land. The name means "Salvation" and I'm sure that he was more than happy to take up the nickname "Joshua" from the leader of the exodus out of Egypt.
Joshua. He probably mulled over that name for quite awhile, trying it on and adapting to the idea of being "God Saves" instead of "Salvation". It brought to mind the overcomers in Pergamum that Jesus promises a white stone with a new name. I've often wondered why a new secret name would be so important to someone.
I'd been chewing on this most the day when it occurred to me that a nickname is a sign of endearment. It's like my husband calling me a pet name that only he and I know. A symbol of intimacy. It also occurred to me that a new name would be priceless to someone whose own name had been dragged through the mud. Here's your white dog tag, so to speak. I can almost see the twinkle in his eyes as he watches them read that new secret name! How fun!
""He has a name written on him that no one but he himself knows." ~John
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