A New Name?

In Biblical times, your name was about you, your parent’s hopes for you, where you were born. It was more than a collection of letters that appeared on your drivers license. Sometimes your name changed when God revealed a new calling to you. Such is the story of Genesis 17.  Abram, which meant ‘exalted father,’ had an encounter with the Lord in which God declared that He had plans for him.

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations." (Genesis 17:1-4, NIV)  And God changed his name that day. "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations." (Genesis 17:5, NIV)  Abraham means ‘father of many.’

There is so much inspiration in this chapter.  Abe was 99 and God still had plans for him! Those plans appeared to nothing but empty words to those who saw things with natural eyes. The only heir Abe had at that point was Hagar’s son, who was not to be the son of promise.  It might have seemed almost cruel to give the old man a new name that seemed ludicrous. Imagine introducing yourself to others, “Hi, I’m Father Of Many”  knowing that you have no son with your wife. But, Abraham believed God!

The Lord went on to tell him to change his wife’s name, too. She was 90 and still going by Sarai, which meant ‘princess.’  Now she was to be called Sarah, meaning ‘noblewoman’ because she was going to bear a son for the old man. Yes, you read that right.  99 and 90 and a child was in the future. They struggled to understand it, too! "Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, “Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?” Recovering, Abraham said to God, “Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!” But God said, “That’s not what I mean. Your wife, Sarah, will have a baby, a son. Name him Isaac (Laughter). I’ll establish my covenant with him and his descendants, a covenant that lasts forever." (Genesis 17:17-19, The Message)

I read that chapter this morning with a mix of emotion. I laughed, too, at the absurdity of it all, but my laughter changed to deep hope as I realized that God is never finished with us. Parts of me feel my years and temptation comes to slow down and coast towards the exit!  “Give it up, Jerry. Let somebody else do it.”  But, God whispers of further plans, different perhaps than I would have anticipated, but of His ongoing desire to make me useful in a world I find increasingly hard to understand, in a time when I often feel like an anachronism.

Are you facing some hard decision?
Does it seem that much of what you had hoped for has slipped through your grasp?

Perhaps you can only remember some terrible failure and feel defined by that choice made in the past?

Are you letting words of a parent, a former spouse, or someone else name you and define you?

The grace and mercy of God is about renewal and new names! He owns history and is never finished writing ours until that moment when we step from mortal to immortality. Listen for His voice. Ask for greater faith to live as He desires, refusing to let ‘the obvious’ determine your identity.

Meditate on this word from the Word. It is from a passage in the Scripture that fills me with faith every time I read it. May He do the same in your heart today.

"May (you)  have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:18-21, NIV)

“Immeasurably more!”  That’s not just poetry, that is His proclamation.

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A New Name In Glory

(A old Gospel song.

Forget yourself and sing along)

I was once a sinner but I came

Pardon to receive from my Lord

This was freely given and I found

That He always kept His word

There's a new name

Written down in glory

And it's mine

O yes it's mine

And the white-robed

Angels sing the story

A sinner has come home

For there's a new name

Written down in glory

And it's mine

O yes it's mine

With my sins forgiven

I am bound for heaven

Nevermore to roam

I was humbly kneeling at the cross

Fearing naught but God's angry frown

When the heavens opened and I saw

That my name was written down

In the Book 'tis written

Saved by grace

O the joy that came to my soul

Now I am forgiven and I know

By the blood I am made whole

Charles Austin Miles

© Words: Public Domain

Known and Loved!

Ever feel invisible, unseen, unknown?  Sometimes we feel like a gear in a vast machine, valued only for what we do, not who we are. When someone takes time to actually listen, remembers our name – it can make us cry!  We push through life, driven by responsibilities and we can forget that person alongside of us might be struggling to hang on through grief, or feeling lost and overwhelmed. Perhaps you feel as if you are sliding out of view because of aging, illness, or disability, and nobody seems to really see you, to care if you’re there, to engage with you. You want to scream, “Hey. I count. See me!”

There is One who does. His name is “El Roi, The God who sees.”

In Genesis 16 we are told the story of a person who became invisible, used, then tossed aside. Her name? Hagar. She was a slave who served Sarah, Abraham’s wife. The couple was childless and desperate, so they decided to ‘help God’ fulfill His promise of an heir. As was the custom of the time, Sarah used Hagar as a surrogate, giving her to her husband in the hope that she would become pregnant, which she did. The younger woman, having produced a male son for the patriarch, felt her status improved but Sarah felt only jealousy and responded with cruel abuse. She went to her husband and demanded that the woman be thrown out, leaving her to a life of misery as she tried to survive. The servant girl was disposable, an inconvenient reminder of faithlessness. The Bible says, “Abram replied, "Since she is your servant, you may deal with her as you see fit." So Sarai treated her harshly, and Hagar ran away. The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a desert spring along the road to Shur... Thereafter, Hagar referred to the Lord, who had spoken to her, as "the God who sees me, (El Roi) for she said, "I have seen the One who sees me!" - Genesis 16:7,13 NLT

"The God who sees me!"  Do you know that HE knows YOU? Yes, He does. He sees right into your most secret places. He knows your dreams, your hopes, your sins, your past, and your future. He loves YOU, not just for what you can do for Him, but because you exist.

In our kid’s ministry we sing a song that says -
“You don't have to be the fastest, strongest;
you don't have to hold your breath the longest.

You don't have to be a star, it doesn't matter who you are!

Raise your hands and repeat after me,
“You can trust God definitely, you can trust God definitely.”

  

And it is a truth that will alter your life. The Gospels are not written about Jesus in palaces, speaking with kings. He lived among the common, the broken, the cast-offs – with genuine love. He knows your name, your heart, your need. Let Him love you. Then, let that love spill over onto those who are invisible, a deep concern for people regardless of their usefulness or ‘value’ in your plans.

Our God is truly El Roi, the God who sees. "The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (Proverbs 15:3, NIV)

Here’s a comforting word from the Word. May it bring comfort to you today as you deepen your faith in ‘the God who sees.’

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. … even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you. … "Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."  (Psalm 139:1-4, 12, 24, NLT)

_________

You, You, You
(rejoice with the children’s song!)

You, You, You,

You can trust God

You can take him at his word

and give him your heart

You, You, You,

You can trust God

it doesn't matter who you are

You can trust God

You don't have to be the fastest, strongest

you don't have to hold your breath the longest

You don't have to be a star

it doesn't matter who you are

Raise your hands and repeat after me

You can trust God definitely

You, You, You,

You can trust God

You can take him at His word

and give Him your heart

You, You, You,

You can trust God

it doesn't matter who you are

You can trust God

Group Publishing

I did well, right?

Life teaches that performance earns reward, generally. We get report cards in elementary school that measure our accomplishments with a grade. Sometimes we confuse our grade with our personal worth, but that’s another subject. Unless we have been duped by entitlement that insists “you owe me,” we understand that if we want that promotion, we have to show up on time, do the work, and show initiative. Reward follows diligence. That's how life works.  Except when it comes to God’s salvation. That we cannot earn!

Disciple, if we get stuck in a performance mode, attempting to earn God's favor, we will find ourselves locked into a cycle that demands more and more of us.  Millions are working to gain some measure of peace with God and feeling only guilt. Millions are trying to be the kind of person they know they ought to be- self-disciplined, determined, and still falling far short of the goal.

Abraham heard God’s promise and believed it!  Genesis says this - "Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6, NIV)  The gift of being accepted and beloved came by faith.  Paul points to that when he explains faith that saves us. "Clearly, God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!) So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe." (Romans 4:13-16, NLT)  

The Gospel of Jesus is often mixed with religion because it is just ‘common sense.’  Except that it is not!  Whatever we learned from life about performance and reward goes out the window when it comes to being right with God. He seeks to save us, not because we are worthy or because we did anything to attract His attention. Because of loving grace, He goes to find us and bring us home! Our only part is to surrender to His embrace.
What of holy living? Can we just ‘sin and grin?’ Of course not, because true grace is deeply transformative. What we truly believe and how we act are inextricably interwoven. Sinners who had dinner with Jesus were changed from the inside out. So, too, we are transformed by grace. When we experience the incredible, scandalous love of God, it causes us to change course, with a new vision drawing us higher. If we respond to God's invitation with faith, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us. "When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him." (Ephesians 1:13-14, NLT)

Are you feeling distance from God, desperately trying to do something to earn His gift? Renew your faith; not in yourself, not in a religious system, but in the Person of Christ Jesus. Receive His grace anew!
Here is a word from the Word. "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:8-10, NLT)
Believe God, and He will mark the debt that our sin has created – Paid in full! (At His expense.)
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Mighty To Save
(Let the greatness of God draw you to worship as you listen)
Ev’ryone needs compassion
Love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Ev’ryone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The hope of nations

Saviour He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save
He is mighty to save
Forever Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Ev’rything I believe in
Now I surrender

Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing
For the glory of the risen King
Jesus
Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing
For the glory of the risen King

Ben Fielding | Reuben Morgan
© 2006 Hillsong Music Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
CCLI License # 810055