“My sheep know my voice and I call them by name.” John 10:3b Mary was sitting alone in the garden near where they had laid her Savior after He had died on the cross, but the tomb was empty now. Jesus was gone. He had been the only friend she had ever had. Others had ridiculed her, but not Jesus; He really cared. Now, He was dead, and they had taken His body away. She wept bitterly. Someone approached, and through her tears, she supposed it to be the gardener until He spoke softly, “Mary.” She knew His voice. It was the voice of her Savior because NO ONE SAID HER NAME LIKE JESUS. Jesus was going to Jericho and to Zacchaeus. Though he was a hated publican tax collector, Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus also, but many others had the same idea and wanted to see the “miracle worker.” The crowd was too much for Zac to get through, and he was too short to see over them, so…he climbed a sycamore tree. As Jesus passed by, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down; I am having dinner with you tonight.” NO ONE SAID HIS NAME LIKE JESUS. Lazarus had been dead for 4 days when Jesus got to Bethany. Mary and Martha were upset that Jesus had not come sooner to heal their brother Lazarus. “You came too late,” He was told. But Jesus said, “If you believe you shall see the glory of God.” And then He called out to His friend, their brother, Lazarus, “Lazarus come forth!” And death could not hold him because NO ONE SAID HIS NAME LIKE JEUS. Jesus sent out 70 disciples across the countryside to preach the gospel, the good news. They came back excited about their miracles and healings. Jesus reminded them that what they’d experienced was great, but that it is greater still to rejoice that their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. “My sheep know my voice, and I call them by name.” My friend Derrick Johnson years ago told me about a young man, Jim. He had just become a believer, was new to the faith. He worked a construction job in a big city and found a church not far
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from his job site. He found that it was open for prayer each day, so he slipped in the sanctuary each day on his lunch break. He never stayed long, generally less than a minute. He came in, kneeled down, closed his eyes, bowed his head, prayed, got up, and left. Day after day, he did this. The pastor stopped him one day, introduced himself, and asked “What do you pray for in less than a minute?” Jim thought for a moment; then he smiled and said, “I just come in and say, ‘Jesus, it’s Jim. I figure that’s enough to remind Jesus that He has a little boy down here who loves Him.” Jim explained that every day he’d come, kneel, bow his head, close his eyes, and pray, “Jesus, it’s Jim.” Then Jim he got up, nodded and smiled to the pastor as he left. One early morning the Pastor got a call. It was Jim’s wife; there had been a terrible accident. “Please hurry to the hospital,” she said. He got to the hospital in 15 minutes, praying for his friend all the way. When he arrived in the emergency room, no one needed to tell him that it was serious. One look at Jim told all. The pastor knew it wouldn’t be long. He knelt by the bed and said, “Jim, we may not have much more time together. I need to know… are you ready to go?” Jim’s lips moved a little and the pastor, through his own tears, drew closer and closer to Jim and said, “Jim, this is really important. When you step into the next life, are you prepared to meet your Savior?” Jim looked up at his friend and said, “Do you remember all those days when I would come into your church and pray, “Jesus, it’s Jim.” The pastor nodded; he remembered well. Jim struggled to smile past his pain, and said, “I just heard a sweet voice that said, “Jim, it’s Jesus.” NO ONE SAID HIS NAME LIKE JESUS.
Del Rogers, Sr., founder and CEO of Stewardship Enrichment is a recognized authority on successful fund raising for churches, ministries and personal stewardship growth for individual christians.
