DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 93
YOU’VE BEEN RENAMED
Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon,
Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John—but you will
be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”).
J O H N 1:42
Jesus didn’t just give Simon a new name, he gave him a new identity.
“Cephas” (“Peter”) means “rock.” I wonder if Peter ever thought of himself
as a rock. Over the next few chapters in Scripture, he shows himself to be
volatile, unsteady, impulsive. But Jesus calls out something in Peter, and
Peter grows into it, becomes it. Jesus does the same in us.
How would you define yourself today: parent, spouse, friend, sibling,
coworker, introvert, extrovert, Southerner, Northerner, Australian? Or
maybe the words are not so kind: failure, addict, broken, insecure, unworthy.
Whatever the description might be, Jesus has more to add: beloved, chosen,
accepted, forgiven, free, more than a conqueror.
Like Peter, it’s okay if we can’t feel, see, or even fully understand what
God says is true of us yet. What matters is that we don’t trust our human
identity to be our ultimate destiny. So when the world around us tries to tell
us who we are, let’s pause and listen for the only voice that gets the final say.
HOLLEY GERT H, C
heering You On
God, you know us even better than we know ourselves. You see our
potential when we see our problems. You see our strengths when we only see
our struggles. You see beyond our humanity to who you’ve made us
for eternity. Align our perspective with yours today. Amen.
