Proverbs 8:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
I have been pastor for 12 years at Heritage Oaks Full Gospel Church. We’re a small church that loves the Lord and we enjoy worshipping the Lord. But there is a problem I have that I’ve dealt with for several years. I have problem remembering names so what do you do when that happens. Well, we have two sister that has been coming for quite a while and that has been so good about my problem. For about a year I would get their names mixed up and while I felt so bad about it they would just make a joke and laugh it off. So many people have been so kind and understanding of this problem. When new families come into the church you don’t want to hurt or insult them by saying what is your name again. But I have found that the people of the church is so understanding. So I got the ideal to have everyone write their names down on a card one week and the next week I carried those cards in my pocket and looked at them before service started and still got some names confused. So I decided to take everyones pictures and one of the men at the church knew right off what was going on. But this help greatly and I don’t get names mixed up as much as I use to.
And you can say but your a pastor and you should be better with names than that. That is true to a point but my facial recognitions is good but getting the names with the faces causes me a problem. But to my surprise I’m not the only one with this problem back when I first got saved our pastors wife told me a trick she would say what is your name again and when the people would say their first name she would say oh I mean your last name.
I guess the most part is that I am so thankful that we have a church that is so understanding. They even joke about it with me so I am certain of how good the people are. But by now I know everyones names that comes and I don’t get your names mixed up like I used to. But think about this what if a person would go to heaven and stood before the Lord and he did not know your name.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There will be those that will stand before the lord and he will say he did not know them. This is why it is so important you live for the Lord here. The scriptures tells us he knew us before we were in our mothers womb. But what a disaster it would be for us to meet our Lord and have him say that now he does not know us. I remember a lot of my friends from when I was a youth growing up but to know them now the chances are I would not that was 50 years or so ago and they have changed a lot and I have to face it I have changed a lot to. But as we grow and get older we should be changing for the Lord, a closer walk, more prayer, more time spent studying his word to where we get to know him better and better as we get closer to meeting him. And we will get to meet him someday. And you can say but God is a god of mercy and you would be right he has waited and waited on those who has not answered his call. He has worked and worked with those who’s walk is not what it should be. As a pastor it is my responsibility to give you the word of God as it is written. But as a Christian it is you responsibility to do something with it. To apply it to your life. As a sinner a person can either heed it or turn a deaf ear to it. But at some point if you do turn that deaf ear you will find that you will be wishing that you could go back and listen to all the times you were preached to about salvation or someone testified to you about Jesus and had applied it to your life. But its not to late to work on your walk with the Lord it is not to late to ask Jesus into your heart. But after that last breath we take. It will be. I pray that this finds a way to help you in your walk with Jesus or help you find salvation. May God bless you and keep you.