Baby Names

I have been giving a whole lot of thought to baby names lately. Our second baby girl should be born real soon we hope. None of us choose the name we are given, sometimes we see names and we wonder what in the world was that poor child's parents thinking. 

We named our first child Karis, which in Greek means grace. Her middle name is Rebekah after a godly woman we know, which in Hebrew means captivating. There is no doubt that the grace of God is captivating.

Our second little girl will be born real soon (we hope) and we have decided to name her Priya Elise. Priya means beloved in Sanskrit. Elise means God is satisfaction in Hebrew or consecrated to God in French. I pray this child when know she is beloved and she finds her satisfaction ultimately in God for she is consecrated to God.

In Scripture there are four names given to Christians: saints, believers, brethren, and disciples. All four of these names depict one of the characteristics needed to be a child of God. To be a saint is to be holy. We are holy not because of our own goodness, but because God has declared us holy by the work of Christ. That being said we are called to live a holy life. To be a Christian is to seek to be more like Christ who is altogether holy.

Christians are also called believers. Without faith it is impossible to please God, this has been the case from the beginning. We are called to live a life of faith. We walk not by sight, but by faith. To do this we must constantly reevaluate and adjust our way of thinking (Rom. 12:2).

Third, we are called brethren. When we become Christians we are called to into a spiritual family that is defined by love. We are called to love as Christ loved (John 13:35). Love is not simply an emotion; it is daily choice we make to treat others as if we were serving Christ, for we are in the end.

Last, we are called disciples. To be a disciple of Christ is to follow in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21). We can’t do that if we don’t know what He did while on earth. Thus to be a disciple includes studying God’s Word to seek His will for our lives. To be disciples means to seek to be like Christ in all we do, say, think, and feel.

We have been given the name Christian, which means little Christ. Let us live lives that show we are seeking to be more like Christ as evidenced through holiness, faith, love, study, and dedication.