Honor the names that you bear because Sunday you will have the opportunity and the obligation to report to Heavenly Father what you have done with those names.
The most important name you will have to account for us if you have taken the name of Christ upon you.
Nephi’s and Lehi’s names helped them remember the good works of their ancestors and encouraged them to do good as well.
Sisters, no matter where we live, what language we speak, or whether we are 8 years old or 108, we all share a special name that has these same purposes.
“For as many of [us] as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ … for [we] are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The name we were given at birth reflects our individual identity and gives us belonging within our earthly families. However, when we were “born again” at baptism, our understanding of who we are was enlarged. “Because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, … for behold, … he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him.”
Thus, with covenant identity and belonging, we are called by the name of Jesus Christ. And “there [is] no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.”
Conversion might be defined based on personally recognizing and accepting what it means to be called by the name of Christ.
Our promise to always remember the Savior gives us strength to stand for truth and righteousness—whether we are in a large crowd or in our solitary places, where no one knows our actions except for God. When we remember Him and His name we bear, we have no place for self-degrading comparisons or overbearing judgments. With our eyes on the Savior, we see ourselves for who we really are—a cherished child of God.
Our covenant remembering quiets worldly worries, turns self-doubt into courage, and gives hope in times of trial.
Do we see our association with Christ in this way and live accordingly?
President Nelson taught: “The day is gone when you can be a quiet and comfortable Christian. Your religion is not just about showing up for church on Sunday. It is about showing up as a true disciple from Sunday morning through Saturday night. … There is no such thing as a ‘part-time’ disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ is more than a formal exchange of words. It is not a passive promise or a cultural contrivance. It is not a rite of passage or a name tag that we wear. It is not a saying that we simply place on a shelf or hang on a wall. His is a name that is “put on,” written in our hearts, and “engraven upon [our] countenances.”
President George Albert Smith taught, “Honor the names that you bear, because some day you will have the privilege and the obligation of reporting … to your Father in heaven … what you have done with [those names].”
Those names include mortal name, the name of Christ and potentially other names although the name of Christ and or mortal name will be the most important.
The Lord has said, “Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine.”
Are we truly willing to bear His name?
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