UNASHAMED OF HIS NAME
There are hats and shirts everywhere—logos, teams, slogans, political arrows pointing left or right, declarations of where we stand and who we belong to. People proudly announce their loyalties on cloth and cotton, turning their wardrobes into billboards of preference and identity.
And somehow, in the middle of all that noise, it feels “radical” to wear the name of Jesus. How did the world become a place where a ball team is normal, a political slogan is acceptable, but the name above every name is considered excessive? Perhaps the deeper question is this: what are we truly unashamed of? (Romans 1:16).
We don’t hesitate to wear what we love. A person slips on the hat of their favorite team without trembling. Someone pulls on the colors of their candidate without apology. Yet when it comes to Jesus—the One who loved us with an everlasting love, who bore our sins in His body on the tree, who broke the chains of death and rose for our justification—we suddenly become cautious. Quiet. Selective. Almost embarrassed. But the Bible reminds us that the disciples went out “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). They didn’t hide that name; they treasured it.
If clothing says anything, it is simply this: I belong to Someone. And if that is true of any team or any leader or any cause, how much more should it be true of Christ? Why should His name be the one we tuck away? Why should His goodness be concealed under the fabric of social comfort? When our hearts are full of Him—when we think of His mercy, His cross, His resurrection, His unchanging kindness—His name becomes as natural on us as breath itself. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psalm 107:2).
The world may think it strange, but that has never been the standard for the people of God. We wear His name because it is precious. We speak His name because it has saved us. We honor His name because He alone is worthy. And if it is considered bold or unusual or radical to publicly identify with the One who gave Himself for us—then may we gladly be bold and unusual and radical. May our lives, our words, our habits, even our clothing, simply say: I am not ashamed of Jesus (Mark 8:38).
And someone will rise up and object, won’t they? “It doesn’t matter what you wear; God looks on the heart.” True enough—but then why do you wear your team’s colors with such joy, or put on that political hat with such boldness? You know why. Because the moment you slip it on, it announces something about you—your loyalty, your pride, your identity.
Things you wear say something. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. And if we can gladly broadcast our earthly allegiances, how much more should we delight to bear the name of Jesus upon our chest, upon our sleeve, upon our very life? I hope—oh, I pray—we are not ashamed of the One who was never ashamed of us.
Let us lift up His name—not to earn anything, not to prove anything, but simply because we love Him. Let us live in such a way that the world sees, in every quiet moment and in every public place, that our hearts delight in the Lord who redeemed us. And if a hat or shirt can open a door for a simple conversation about His goodness, then let it speak. We wear His name because He has written ours upon His hand (Isaiah 49:16).
And hear my heart in this—I am not judging anyone. I am not saying you must wear Jesus memorabilia to be right with God; righteousness is in Christ alone, not in cotton and ink. Some souls simply aren’t comfortable with that sort of outward expression, and there may be wise and personal reasons behind it.
But to those who do gladly wear the logos of favorite bands, the colors of beloved teams, or the slogans of political passion—why is Jesus the one area of your existence that you don’t want to announce boldly?
This is not condemnation; far from it. You do you. Walk with God in sincerity. I only mean to stir the heart a little, to ask why the name above every name feels heavier on the chest than the names that will pass away. May Jesus be our joy, whether worn or spoken or lived.
BDD
P. S.
Sometimes believers wonder how they can promote the cause of Christ—how to do something tangible for His kingdom, how to honor Him in simple, practical ways. But the answers are often right in front of us. They make Jesus shirts, Jesus hats, Jesus bumper stickers. Sometimes the smallest things speak the loudest. And if this is somehow a “radical” suggestion, then tell me how—and I’ll gladly take it down.
P. P. S.
Now we’re just thinking out loud as we write. What is it about that kind of obvious recognition that makes us hesitate? Maybe it’s because when we slip on a football shirt, nothing is required of us—we can act however we act, and no one thinks twice. But put on a Jesus shirt, and suddenly we feel the weight of expectation; we know people will be watching to see if we actually live what we wear.
Maybe you avoid a Jesus bumper sticker because there are moments on the road when you don’t drive as Christianly as you wish you did. But deep down we all know the truth: if we belong to Christ, everything we do is supposed to reflect Him anyway. And believe me—I’m preaching to myself as much as anyone else with these thought-provoking words.
