JesUs

I had a great morning with a friend the other day. We talked and shopped and talked some more. Afterwards, I came home and started day one of a new devotional called Jesus: 90 Days with the One and Only by Beth Moore. (This book is part of my intentional efforts to “hire” a new Everybody Committee, which I wrote about here.)

Here’s an excerpt from the devotion for that day:

Then came my favorite line of all: “You are to give him the name Jesus” (v. 31). Do you realize this was the first proclamation of our Savior’s personal name since the beginning of time? Jesus. The very name at which every knee will one day bow. The very name that every tongue will one day confess. A name that has no parallel in my vocabulary or yours. A name I whispered into the ears of my infant daughters as I rocked them and sang lullabies of His love. A name by which I’ve made every single prayerful petition of my life. A name that has meant my absolute salvation, not only from eternal destruction, but from myself. A name with power like no other name. Jesus. What a beautiful name. I love to watch how it falls of the lips of those who love Him. I shudder as it falls off the lips of those who don’t. Jesus. It has been the  most important and most consistent word in my life. Dearer today than yesterday. Inexpressibly precious to me personally, so I am at a loss to comprehend what the name means universally.

That directly mirrored a beautiful part of the conversation I just had with my friend that morning. Here’s what I wrote in the devotional that day:

Jesus,

Today, I had a conversation with my friend about how people say Your name: either “Jes-us” or “Jes-is.” My friend has noticed that those who walk closely with You are more likely to say “Jes-us".” I’ve noticed the same thing with other Christ followers too. I told her maybe because the followers are more focused on the “U” part instead of the “I” part. She said maybe it’s a supernatural way that you have subtly changed our lives. Even the tiny nuances are transformed! I pray you help me focus on the “U” and not the “I.”

Amen.

How do you say His name? Do you focus on the “U” or the “I”?