March 16
You Are Mine
”I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” —Isaiah 43:1
Read Isaiah 43:1-11
Have you ever taken a quiet walk alone when suddenly, someone calls out your name? Alarmed, you turn around to see who called. It is an image of daily life used in our text. The Lord calls us by name every day through His invitations and His warnings. But He also calls us in a special way when He calls us by our name. This does not mean that He actually uses your name, but when the Word of God comes with power, then it’s as if your name is being called. Perhaps you are walking farther away from Him on a pathway of sin, but then He arrests you on your path. When He calls out your name, you are dumb-founded. After God’s powerful call, it is impossible to continue on a sinful path, and with shame, you must admit that the Lord is just in the accusations directed at you. You deserve to be punished. But, miracle of miracles, after con-fessing your guilt with tears of sorrow, no punishment is meted out.
Again your name is called out. But this time, on the basis of Christ Jesus’ suffering and death, you are forgiven. The Lord says, “Thou art Mine.” Through the Lord’s grace you may con-fess, “[that] I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.” This is the first answer to Lord’s Day 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism.
In what way does the Lord call you?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.