Does your name identify who you are? Many of us have grown up with nicknames, some not too complimentary. Sometimes a single event in your life can cause you to get stuck with a nickname that stays with you forever.
In Bible days, everyone’s name had meaning. In some cases a person’s name became a self-fulfilling prophecy. There were names with a positive meaning like Joshua, which means “one who saves”, or Isaac, which means “he laughs”. But other names were not so positive, like a man named Jabez. When Jabez was born, the Bible says his mother had a very painful delivery, so she named him Jabez, which means “one who causes pain”. Can you imagine having Pain for a name? “Hey Pain, get out of my way!” “You’re such a pain, Pain.” As Jabez got older, the Bible says he prayed to God and asked God for two things. He asked God to enlarge his territory and to help him so he would not cause pain. He refused to be defined by his name. The label put on him was not going to determine his outcome in life. Some of us grew up in a home with a less than honorable name. I believe we can pray a prayer like Jabez. We can ask God to raise us above a bad name or reputation. The Bible says that when we start following Jesus Christ, he makes us new creatures, old things are passed away and all things become new. Jabez trusted God to lift him above the labels others had put on him. Don’t let some event of your life determine who you are, and don’t let the name you inherited define your future. Instead, become a new creature in Christ and be identified as a member of his family. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2016
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