What's in a name??? part 2

You know it's coming.....What about the Bible and names? There are a few name changes in there that God makes. He takes a name seriously and changes it in order to change a person inwardly. We will start in Genesis....Abram, probably the most famous renaming. Genesis 17:5 tells us that God changed his name to Abraham--Father of a Multitude or The Father is Exalted. A name to live up to. I am sure that Abraham was a little confused over the years as children did not come. But it was an outward sign of an inward promise. Then, in Genesis 17:15, Sarai gets a name change too. Sarai becomes Sarah, or princess. A name to show the blessings of God that would come to and through her. Then later, in Genesis 32:28, we see Jacob, the deceiver, get a new name after his all night wrestling match. He becomes Israel, for he struggles with God. All of these name changes were showing how God saw these people.

Two name changes in the New Testament have always fascinated me. One is in Acts 13. After the dramatic conversion of Saul on the Damascus Road, he is totally changed. In Acts 13, the local church in Antioch is fasting and praying and the Holy Spirit tells them to "set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work I have called them to." They fasted, prayed and layed hands on them, and sent them off. In the first trip they go on, they encounter a sorcerer. The Holy Spirit fills Saul and rebukes the sorcerer. That is the last time he is called Saul. From then on, he is Paul. Please read this for yourself and see what all this name change is about.

Simon, a friend to Jesus, is given a name change from the moment Jesus meets him. In John 1:41, Jesus calls him Cephas, an Aramaic name corresponding to the Greek Petros, which means "a mass of rock detached from the living rock." We call him Peter. Although Jesus never calls him Peter. I could go on and on with the story of Peter. He was a rash, unreliable, and arrogant man. But Jesus had given him a new name. Peter goes through many thing, and denies Jesus. But Jesus had given him a new name. Peter has an encounter with the resurrected Jesus in John 21:15-19, that changes him inwardly. Could there be something to this new name? Then we see Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Please read this sermon. This is Peter living up to the new name. Boldly preaching the gospel and becoming the rock that Jesus told him he would be.

So, what about your name? Is it the one that you know, that your parents gave you? Do you see part of God's plan in how you were named? Or, is it the name that you don't know yet....the one Jesus has given you in Revelation 2:17....that no one else know...that one that you will live up to.

Trying, through Christ, to live up to my name,

Consecrated to God

What's in a name???? part 1

What's in a name, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet....

Uh-oh quoting Shakespeare, what is she up to now!!

Names...we all have them. We were given one or two at birth, added a surname and some of us later added a married name. Then there are the nicknames we get...."Honey, Sweetie, Mommy" or shortened versions of our name. In my home, my youngest son calls my older son "Bubba," that's his brother and that's what he calls him. I like it. It reminds them of the relationship God put them in.

So, what about your name. I have had issue with mine at times. I distictly remember that in fifth grade there were five girls named "Lisa" in my class. So then, I was "Lisa R." When I was a sophomore in high school, we moved and I changed high schools. I seriously thought of going by my middle name. Believe it or not, I was a quiet and sjy girl, did not make friends easily and thought if I changed my name when I changed schools it would help me change. I was so shy that I would not even go ask for ketchup at McDonald's! But, we see I didn't change it. But, God did start changing me. He began to help me open up more. He opened my mouth, and I don't think it has closed much since then.

If you have ever had to name a child, you know it can be hard, especially when you start to think about what a name means. I didn't thnk about that a lot with my boys (sorry to admit). My husband and I did not agree on a lot of names. He likes traditional names, I like different names(throwback to being one of five Lisa's). We got to "L" in the name book before we agreed, and that is how my first son was named. But it is fun to find out what your name means. We don't think about it often in modern times. But maybe we should.

My name means "Consecrated to God". Whoa--a lot to live up to! Promised and set apart for God. That is the name I want to live up to. I still struggle with wanting to be a quiet loner---SHOCKING I KNOW! But, God has placed in me a passion for Him. My friend says that God did not give me this mouth and not want it used for Him. I could talk all day about God, His love, His mercy, His WORD, and the life changing things He has done for me. Normally, when I talk I use my hands...my mother used to say that if you tied my hands behind my back, I couldn't talk. But when I start talking about Him, or His Word, my whole body gets involved. Ask my Bible study gals! I don't understand it...but maybe it is the living up to my name. Set apart for Him....when I let Him takeover, I live up to it.