What’s In A Name?

Ephesians 1:11 (MSG)

It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

This week in the Living Temple series, Pastor Shane taught on the story of Daniel.  Daniel was a young man that had a strong faith in God.  He trusted God with his life and let God have the say in everything that he did.

Because Daniel trusted God to use him, God placed Daniel in a role that would eventually become a position of great influence and authority.

But, the process by which Daniel came into his position was not an easy one.  In fact, God used the fact that Daniel’s town became attacked and taken over by an outside force.  The king of Babylon invaded Jerusalem (where Daniel was from) and took control of it.

Then, the Babylonians gathered up some of the people from Jerusalem, including Daniel, and put them to work in his palace.

Part of the process these people went through was that the Babylonians forced them to eat and drink their traditional food, be educated in their customs and systems, and even to change their names to Babylonian names.

However, Daniel, as a young teen, refused.  He refused to eat their food and have his name changed. 

This was difficult for him to go through, but he stood firm to what he knew to be the right thing.  Daniel recognized that his name and his traditions came from God.  That God had placed in the king’s palace to use his faith and integrity to bring God glory.

Eventually, the king actually came to respect Daniel’s decision and Daniel was given influence and authority with the king that led to the king praising God and declaring that only Daniel’s God is god.

Sure, it took a long time.  And there were some rocky moments.  If you remember, there’s a whole thing about some guys in a furnace. There’s the whole lion situation. 

But, over time, Daniel’s refusal to give in to the worlds’ way of identifying him paid off.

You may be tempted to be swayed by what others say about you.  You may have faced seasons that felt like outside forces were attacking you and trying to take over.

But remember, you are not named by your experiences. You aren’t named by your past, or what other people think and say about you.

You are named by God and your identity comes from him. When we hold onto that truth with faith, integrity and hope God gets the glory.  Because it allows others to see that no matter what happens around us, God is the guide of our lives.

Be encouraged today that your name comes from above!