And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17).

Whatever you do. Everything in the name. These words have the power to change our days, but we must first understand both what it means and how we do it.

Doing things in Jesus’ name means acting and speaking

on His behalf, serving and caring and spreading the good news of His resurrection and grace (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38);

under His authority, acknowledging that He alone is in control (Isaiah 50:10);

in His power, aligning ourselves with the kinds of places and work where God has promised and displayed His might (Micah 4:5);

in His will, obedient to walk the path He’s laid before us with contentment and joy (Ephesians 5:20); and

with anticipation of resistance, experiencing trials as He promised we would (Matthew 10:22).

There’s a reason that all this sounds next to impossible: His is the name above every name, and His ways are higher than mine (Philippians 2:9, Isaiah 55:9). For His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven (Psalm 148:13).

Doing everything in Jesus’ name is going to take quite a climb. Fortunately, Christ’s own words show us the way up:

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12).

The way higher is constantly acknowledging that we’re lower. The secret to doing all things in the name of the Lord Jesus is realizing that I can no longer do them in mine.

I no longer trust in my name — in my authority, will, design, and power — so that I might act in His. I realize that my doubts — my whys — my failure to understand God’s plans are simply evidence of how great and other He is: Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? (Job 26:14)

Doing things in Jesus’ name takes humility. It takes the Spirit.

It also takes the pressure off. As wives, mothers, workers, daughters, sisters, servants — the burden —the results — the outcomes — now rest on His name, and not our own. Work done in His name will not fail to come right and true and bring Him glory in the end: I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other (Isaiah 42:8).