JOHN 1:35-42
I felt strange after my ordination on December 24, 1997. Before, I was called Uncle Femi or Brother Femi. It was as if my name had changed when several people started calling me by the title of Reverend, even giving up my real name as a sign of respect. Reverend was not even a name, but it replaced my name and identity, and I yearned to be my former self.
Who knows how Simon felt when Jesus changed his name? Andrew, after being convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, immediately found his brother Simon and brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked into his soul and affirmed and appreciated something deeply true about Simon. Yes, Jesus saw failure and the rash nature that would get him in trouble, but more than that, he saw Simon’s potential to become a leader in the church. Jesus called him Cephas or Peter, meaning a rock (John 1:42; Matthew 16:18).
And so it is with us. God sees our pride, our anger, and our lack of love for others, but He also knows who we are in Christ. He calls us justified, reconciled, forgiven, holy, loved, chosen and faithful. Remember how God sees you and try to let that define who you are.
Do not let anyone steal your identity in Christ.
🙏 Help us o Lord to answer our new names and live them out in You.
