By Allen White
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. No longer
will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a
father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of
you, and kings will come from you. Genesis 17:3-6 (NIV)
Abram’s encounter with God changed his identity. He would no
longer be called Abram meaning “exalted father.” God gave him a new name,
Abraham meaning “father of a great multitude.” What a difference adding two
little letters can make.
Abram literally had been called “father” all of his life.
You wonder if that was a label of shame or expectation for him. Considering
that Abram’s father Terah didn’t start a family until age 70 (Genesis
11:26), Abram very well could have been on the expectation side.
But, at 99 years of age, the human possibilities were being
erased. At this point, God gave Abram a new identity. God called Abraham to
something that only God could accomplish.
What labels have you borne in your life? Selfish, Insecure,
Addicted, Angry, Greedy or Sinful? The Bible is full identity changes. The best
examples are among the Corinthians: “Do you not know that the wicked will not
inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor
thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were
washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Paul does some name calling here. First, he calls the
Corinthians out for what they used to be. Then, he reminds them of who they are
now: people with a second chance; people with a clear conscience and a clean
heart; people with a new lease on life.
An encounter with God radically alters our reality. Once we
get a glimpse of how God sees us, He enables those things to be accomplished in
our lives.
What label is dogging you these days? What has God spoken to
you today about what He thinks of you? Right now, peel off that old label and
ask God for a new one.
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