“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation. The old has passed away;
behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:1, NIV
I’ve had
some recent failures and setbacks in what I thought were my particular callings
and who I thought I was made to be. In
digging in and trying to understand, God led me to verses that paint a picture
of how he will sometimes “prune (branches of the tree) so that it will be even
more fruitful” (John 15:1-8, NIV); the tree being God and the branches us,
Christians. I can attest that there has
been some major “pruning" taking place in my life this last year. And with all of that pruning, I’m left
wondering if I have actually not fully stepped into what God had called
me to become in His name. Maybe all of
this pruning has been about revealing all he wants me to step into…my new
name.
We see many
times in the Bible that God renamed people when they began following him. These names were often powerful and empowering
new names that indicated what the person would become in Christ. They were names that encouraged each person
of the Lord’s promises and purposes.
Have you
ever wondered what your new name is that you were given at the time you
accepted Christ? At the time we accept
Jesus, we are made new in Him. What is
the new name we each step into? Does
this name reveal what you will become in Him?
Some of you may have had a name, word, scripture, or thought come to
mind. I know I did when I had a
professor in seminary first bring this idea up.
I knew exactly the word/name God gave me six years ago and then realized
that I have not fully claimed nor stepped into that name. It’s time!
It’s time for all of us in Christ to fully claim and step into what He
has given. It’s time to share what He
wants to do through YOU and ME.
If you
haven’t accepted God into your life…I wonder what your new name would be in
Him?
