Your Name Matters to God      

“The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. The descendants of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, and Amalek, who was born to Timna. The descendants of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.” 1 Chronicles 1:35-37 NLT

This year in my daily Bible reading I chose to use ‘The One Year Chronological Bible.’ I recommend it for those who are adamant about having things in order. The Bible can be difficult to understand, especially when related passages of Scripture are not in sync chronologically. A chronological Bible, as its name says, puts events in order of their occurrence. Even if you’re not concerned about the order of events, it is still a worthwhile read to understand history as recorded in Holy Scripture.

One important note; there are repetitive verses that are combined from several different books of the Bible to keep it in chronological order. These passages can dig deep into our souls as we read them to get a clearer understanding of Scripture. But then there are those verses as above, names of individuals in the genealogies which we cannot pronounce, let alone have a hard time reading them. That same passage above is found in Genesis 36. But it is chronologically correct.

I share this to say that if their names weren’t important, God would not have it repeated in His Word or record it at all. There are many people whose names are listed in the Bible and never mentioned again. But their names mattered to God, and the names of all individuals made in His image matter to Him. Think of the privilege it would be if you had your name written in the Bible, God’s Word, for all time. It would matter. You may feel like you are just a name written once in the Bible and forgotten. But think of the one who knows your name. You are not forgotten. Your name matters to God. You matter to God, and if you have accepted Christ as your savior, your name is written in the most important book of all, the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Rev.21:22-27)

The One Year® Chronological Bible