January 19, 2011 A New I.D.

A New I.D.
Read Genesis 34-35

Genesis 35:10 God said to him: “Your name is Jacob; you will no longer be named Jacob, but Israel will be your name.”

WHAT’S in a name? To God, a name is the essence of who you are. Genesis is loaded with names given to places and people because they are reminders of activities the LORD did, the act of faith or disobedience a person did, or the events that occurred in a particular place
Here, God takes another step toward establishing his nation. He had changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Now he changes Jacob’s name to Israel. “Israel” means he has struggled with God, and God has strengthened him.
God separates this man from his neighbors, his family, his brother and his past to move him forward into a new life. The Apostle Paul says in 2 Cor 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”
Are you feeling that you are without purpose? Do you feel you’re too young, too old, worn out, or that you have no value? God wants to make you new and alive in him. He wants to be your friend and confidant, your encourager and your strength. He wants to be your Grace Giver. He wants to be your eternal Father. He wants to be your God.
When you open yourself to God, he happily gives you a new identity for tomorrow. When you accept God’s love for, you, too, will be a new creation.


Pause and Consider: What do you like to do? How can you use that for God?