DAY 12 — The Pearl: The Name
DAY 12 — The Pearl: The Name
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” — Philippians 2:9–11 (NKJV)
Prophecy to Anticipate
The pearl of the exalted Name is the certainty that Jesus Christ will ultimately be acknowledged as Lord over all. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess His Lordship. Because Jesus is Lord, I can exchange self-rule for surrender, fear for confidence, and my fallen identity for the new identity God intended for me in Christ.
The Pearl of the Name
Day 11 showed us Jesus going lower. He made Himself of no reputation, took the form of a servant, humbled Himself, and became obedient even to death on the cross. Now Paul shows us what happened next: “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him.”
What a beautiful exchange. Jesus humbled Himself, and the Father exalted Him. He took the lowest place, and the Father gave Him the highest Name. He wore a crown of thorns, but He now wears the crown of glory. Men mocked His name, but one day every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
This is the pearl of the exalted Name: Jesus wins! History is not moving toward uncertainty; it is moving toward the universal acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord. No kingdom, ruler, power, principality, ideology, or force of darkness will have the final word. The final word belongs to Jesus.
That is why this pearl is a Prophecy to Anticipate. Revelation declares, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” — Revelation 11:15 (NKJV) We already know how the story ends.
But this prophecy is also an invitation for today. One day every knee will bow, but I have the privilege of bowing now. One day every tongue will confess His Lordship, but I can joyfully confess today, “Jesus Christ is Lord!”
This is where the exchanged life becomes personal. If Jesus is Lord, I am no longer lord of my own life. I exchange my will for His will, my plans for His purpose, my authority for His authority, and the illusion of controlling my future for the security of belonging to the King.
This surrender also means releasing my fallen identity. In Christ, the old identity shaped by sin, separation, self-rule, fear, and shame is exchanged for the new identity God intended for me from the beginning. I do not lose my individuality; I discover who I truly am through His identity for me. The exchanged life does not erase my personality; it restores my identity.
My identity is no longer found in the mistakes of my past. What I did may be part of my story, but it no longer defines who I am. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” — Romans 8:1 (NKJV) I can learn from yesterday without continuing to live there.
Certainly, my Father corrects me because He loves me. His correction restores, redirects, teaches, and matures me, but correction is different from condemnation and punishment for sin. Jesus took upon Himself the judgment my sin deserved. “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him.” — Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
Perhaps some of us need to stop punishing ourselves for what Jesus has already carried. We can repeatedly revisit failures God has forgiven, rehearse sins He has cleansed, and continue identifying ourselves by chapters from which Christ has redeemed us. We may believe God has forgiven us while still seeing ourselves—and sometimes even God—through the lens of punishment.
The cross invites us to see through the lens of forgiveness. When my Father corrects me, I can receive His correction without interpreting it as rejection. His correction does not mean I am condemned; it reminds me that I am His child, deeply loved and being transformed into the person He created me to be.
What a beautiful exchange. I exchange condemnation for righteousness, shame for acceptance, punishment for the peace purchased at the cross, and the identity of my past for my identity in Christ. I release who I was and discover who I really am in Him.
There is tremendous confidence in this pearl. Darkness may sometimes appear powerful and evil may seem to be winning, but we must never judge the ending by the present scene. Jesus has already been exalted, His Kingdom cannot ultimately be defeated, and everything that refuses His Lordship will one day bow before Him.
To possess this pearl, something lesser must be released. I surrender self-rule, fear, condemnation, shame, the need to control my future, and the old identity attached to my past. I willingly bow today before the One to whom all creation will one day bow.
The pearl is not merely that Jesus has a powerful name. The pearl of the exalted Name is that Jesus Christ is Lord. His Lordship gives me confidence for my future, freedom from my past, and a new identity from which to live today.
What a beautiful exchange. My kingdom for His Kingdom, my will for His will, my condemnation for His righteousness, my past identity for my new identity in Christ, and my uncertain future for the certainty of His everlasting reign. Jesus Christ is Lord!
Prayer of Faith
Precious Heavenly Father, thank You for highly exalting Jesus and giving Him the Name above every name. I willingly bow my heart before Him and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.
I surrender self-rule, fear, shame, condemnation, and the identity attached to my past. I receive my new identity in Christ and choose to see You through the lens of forgiveness rather than punishment. When You correct me, help me receive the loving correction of my Father without returning to condemnation.
I receive the pearl of the exalted Name. I exchange my kingdom for Yours, my will for Your will, my past for my new identity in Christ, and fear of the future for confidence in my King. Jesus Christ is Lord, and His Kingdom will never end.
I am loved by You, precious Heavenly Father, filled with Your Holy Spirit, and alive in You, my precious Savior, Jesus Christ. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.
