Adopted, not Bound

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves. --Ephesians 1:3-6

I learned something today.  It started me thinking.  Then I got excited.  I had to share it here.  Here it is.  Are you ready?

In most states, a person who gives up a child for adoption will lose all legal claim to that child once he or she is adopted.  Put another way, the parent who adopts a child assumes all legal rights and responsibilities pertaining to that child, and the act of adoption severs all legal ties between the "natural" parent and the child. Say a child is born, and his father runs off.  The single mother gets arrested, or falls apart, or figures out that she can't support the child.  That child is adopted by a healthy family.  Once that child grows to adulthood and makes his way in the world, there is no legal way for the biological mother (or father) to make a claim as a dependent of that person.  If Alice, a single mom, gives up Bob, who is adopted by Charlie and Diane, then when Bob grows up to be rich and famous, Alice can't legally come back to Bob and demand he take care of her.  Alice gave up that right to Charlie and Diane.

Okay, so why does this fact excite me so much?

Look at Ephesians 1:5.  As Christians, we have been adopted into God's family.  We have the right to call God our Father.  We have Jesus as our Brother, in a way--we, too, can be called God's children.  "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God!" (1 John 3:1).  This concept was revolutionary in Jesus' day.  The Jews thought it blasphemous that Jesus would not only call God his father, but that he would teach his disciples to address God as "Our Father".

Each day since the first of the year, I have included in my morning prayer time a different paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer.  I don't recite it verbatim each day--that becomes tedious and the text loses all meaning for me; besides, the Bible says "avoid vain repetitions."  But when I think of what each separate phrase means, it comes alive for me.  For instance, when I get to the part about "give us this day our daily bread", I have substituted whatever I need for that day, asking God to provide for me.  I have also asked Him on occasion to open the Bread of Life, the Word to me in an extraordinary way today.  But the point I am driving at here is that the phrase "Our Father who is in Heaven" is not just a salutation.  It is an expression of praise.  "Our" denotes community; "Father" implies relationship; "Who" gives identity; "Is" inserts being, as well as currency and relevance; "In Heaven" gives current location, with the hope that He will one day invite us home with him there, because we are his children.

BUT THAT'S ONLY HALF THE STORY!!!

Before we were adopted as sons and daughters of God, whose children were we? At best, we were children of the world.  At worst, we were the offspring of Evil.  And that's what makes today's revelation so special.  The World has no claim over us.  Evil cannot come and take us back, not if we are truly repentant.  If I have given my heart to God, and He has adopted me as His child, then that's final.  Praise the Lord!

Oh, we can go and visit if we like.  And the world will call us frequently back to our old way of living.  That's why it is so important for us to realize who we are in Christ.  We must remember that the Curse has been lifted, and we are no longer bound under it.

In this country, seven states practice what is called "open adoption": California, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington.  The thought is that there might be a reason for an adopted child to know about his biological parents--medical issues that might be hereditary, for example.  Some might want to interview their biological parents, to find out why they would make the choice to give up their children, so that the adoptees might not feel needlessly abandoned.

Spiritually, however, we want to stay as far away as we can from our "carnal" (another word for "natural") heritage.  You can bet that the World would love nothing better than to entice you away from the Father, and back into its sinful ways.  We must remember that the world has no legal right to us any more.  That is why the author of Hebrews wrote, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Don't let the World's tentacles tie you up, or trip you up and make you fall.  You have the right under God to shake off the ties that bind you, so that you can run to God.  When you do, you'll discover, like the Prodigal Son found out, that the Father is running toward you.

Praise to the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Our God and Our King, to Him we will sing
In His great mercy He has given us life
Now we can be called the children of God

Great is the love that the Father has given us
He has delivered us, well, He has delivered us

Children of God, sing your song and rejoice
For the love that He has given us all, oh, whoa
Children of God, by the blood of His Son
We have been redeemed and we can be called

Children of God
Children of God

Your mystery is revealed to the universe
The Father Above has proven His love
Now we are free from the judgment that we deserve
And we are called the children of God

Great is the love that the Father has given us
He has delivered us, He has delivered us

Children of God, sing your song and rejoice
For the love that He has given us all, oh, whoa
Children of God, by the blood of His Son
We have been redeemed and we can be called

Children of God
Children of God

We are the saints, we are the children, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven
We are the sons and daughters of our God
We are the saints, we are the children, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven
We are the sons and daughters of our God

Children of God, sing your song and rejoice
For the love that He has given us all, oh, whoa
Children of God, by the blood of His Son
We have been redeemed and we can be called

Children of God
(We are the saints, we are the children, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven)
Children of God
(We are the sons and the daughters of our God)
Children of God
(We are the saints, we are the children, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven)
Children of God
(We are the sons and the daughters of our God)

We are the saints, we are the children, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven
We are the sons and the daughters of our God
We are the saints, we are the children, we've been redeemed, we've been forgiven
We are the sons and the daughters of our God

Read more: Third Day - Children Of God Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Grace vs. Judgment

Ravi Zacharias

Respect the individual while engaging the idea, so that we keep people in their equality but ideas in their hierarchy.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. --John 3:17

Why are we so quick to condemn?  Are we so insecure in our position in Christ that we must make others look or feel bad, so that we can feel good about ourselves and/or look good to others?  We must be like Jesus.  We must never hold ourselves up so that others will be like us.

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son. --John 3:18

Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." All who believe are secure in Christ, and are one with him.  Does that mean that we are all perfect? Of course not!  There are always ways in which we can improve ourselves.  There may even be opportunity to guide someone else in their quest for holiness, but in such a way that builds up, encouraging them to good works.

Paul wrote these words to the church in Colossae:  "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient."  He reminded them that these behaviors and attitudes were carried over from before they knew Christ.  "But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator."  Nowhere in the third chapter of Colossians, where these words are recorded, did Paul ever call anybody out.  He did not name names.  Instead, he encouraged all of his readers, his friends and fellow-Christians in the church, to tear down walls, to stop being divisive, to stop the practice of spiritual one-upmanship.  "Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian (brutes, or savages, in more modern terms), slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3:11)

Keeping with the idea of spiritual molting (that is, putting off the old self, and revealing the new), Paul continues.  "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other, and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them altogether in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:12-14)  To hear some Christians today, there is only compassion with those who sin like they do; there is only kindness with those who go to their own denomination.  There is no humility.  Remember, the same blood covers my sin as covers the sins of abortion, homosexuality, adultery, pornography, or anything else that some Christians get caught up in.

There is a cryptic verse in John chapter 20 that some may be misinterpreting and misapplying.  After the Resurrections, Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."  Does this mean that we can act as judge, jury and executioner over another person spiritually? I don't think so.  I have no power to forgive sin--only God can forgive.  In the same way, I have no power to condemn someone else; only God has that authority. What I think it means is that when we are so attuned to God's Spirit living within us, that we can tell who is forgiven by God, and who is not.  If God has forgiven them, then so should we.  But if they reject God, then their sins are still upon them, weighing them down and convicting them, both in their own hearts and also before God.

Scripture bids us to bear with each other, to forgive each other, and to love one another.  That is all we need do to get along peacefully in this world.

Politics makes strange bedfellows

"Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked?  "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. --John 19:15

History is replete with stories of mortal enemies come together against a common foe.  My father, an ex-Marine, used to tell stories of how Marine Corps men would always get into bar fights against Navy men, but they would defend each other to the death against an Army man. And so it goes.

The facts about Jesus' crucifixion bear this out.  The Jewish leaders, whose ox had been repeatedly gored by this man, arrested Jesus and sentenced him to death.  Why didn't they stone him to death, as was the preferred Jewish method of execution?  Perhaps they remembered what he had told them when they dragged a naked woman through the streets and threw her at his feet.  "Which of you is without sin? Let him cast the first stone," Jesus had told them.

So they tried to gin up some capital charges with their Roman overlords.  The Jews doubtless hated the Romans, for they had come in and occupied their lands, taking away Jewish autonomy, and bringing with them a plethora of false gods.  The best excuse they could come up with was, "He claims to be King of the Jews."  Apparently, this concept offended the Jews' religious convictions more than it did the Roman governor Pilate.  Nor did it seem to bother Herod, the Roman Tetrarch. These political leaders did not see a standing army, just eleven close followers who were not trained as soldiers, and a few women.

Pilate interrogated Jesus in private.  "Are you the king of the Jews?"  Jesus answered this question with a question: "Is that your own idea, or did others talk to you about me?"  The governor tried to put Jesus on the defensive.  If his claim was to be King of the Jews, what difference would it make to Pilate? He was not a Jew.  He even tried to apply logic to the situation--a king would be a unifying force for his people, but the Jews were divided.  Not three days earlier, Jesus had been welcomed into Jerusalem like a conquering hero. The people had waved palm branches, and had placed their cloaks on the cobblestone streets so that the donkey he was riding would make soft steps, making the rider more comfortable.  Now Pilate was seeing quite the opposite.  "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me.  What have you done?" (John 18:35).

Jesus took the opportunity to preach a mini-sermon to the governor.  "My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by these Jews.  But now my kingdom is from another place.  You are right in saying I am a king.  In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone on the side of Truth listens to me." (John 18:36-37).

The governor's response is telling:  "What is truth?"  We hear this a lot in the secular world today: Truth is relative; what is true for you may not be true for me.  Pilate could not find any crime in this man worthy of death, but he also wanted to keep the peace.  He could release the prisoner and start a riot, or he could hand Jesus over to be crucified, and mollify the crowd.  That was the political reality he saw.

The Jews, on the other hand, had been taught the Truth from their childhood.  They had doubtless memorized Psalm 44, where in the 4th verse it says, "You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob."  They had likely sung the words of Psalm 24, where David had written:

Lift up your heads, O  you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the KING of Glory may come in.  Who is this KING of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, you ancient doors, that the KING of Glory may come in.  Who is he, this KING of Glory? The LORD Almighty--He is the KING of Glory. --Psalm 24:7-10

So the Jews knew that they had no King but God; none but the Lord would they serve.  Yet they, like Pilate, compromised their long-held standards for short-term gain.  "We have no king but Caesar".  Indeed!

Friend, have the courage of your convictions.  Do not set aside your beliefs for expediency.

When I was young, I heard scary sermons of the end times, when God's people would all be persecuted for their faith.  They would refuse the Mark of the Beast as described in Revelation, and for that they would be  unable to buy and sell in the open marketplace.  I often wondered, in my young and impressionable years, why the end-times Christians wouldn't just lie about who they were, in order that they could buy groceries and avoid persecution.  God knew their hearts; why couldn't they just say whatever it takes to make it until Jesus came and rescued them?  Now I know, if that were the case, those people would be no better than the Jews who claimed allegiance to Caesar.  Now I know why Jesus called these people hypocrites.

Neighbor, don't be a hypocrite. Don't cover up your faith for love or money.

Do the Right Thing All the Time

I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate, I do. --Romans 7:15

We live in a fallen world.  For all of our intentions to "do the right thing", we invariably lose our resolve.  Many times we embarrass ourselves, and often we bear the scars of our mistakes until our dying day.  Such was the case of a young king of Judah named Uzziah. Living in the eighth century B.C., Uzziah was only 16 years old when he ascended to the throne.  Even at such a young age, he wanted to do the right thing.

"He did was was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done.  He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God.  As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success."  (2 Chronicles 26:4-5).  Uzziah was successful in driving out the Philistines who had settled in the outskirts of Judah.  The Ammonites saw his military prowess, and began paying him tribute so that he would not wage war against them.  Uzziah used this money to fortify the walls of Jerusalem, and to build towers there for defense.  He also was able to build towers in the desert to the south, and cisterns to water his livestock there.  He had a standing army of over 300,000 men, and he was able to outfit each one with a shield, a spear, a helmet, a coat of armor, a bow and a slingshot.  He was able to use advanced technology in warfare, because the Bible says, "In Jerusalem he made machines designed by skillful men for use on the towers and on the corner defenses to shoot arrows and hurl large stones." (2 Chronicles 26:15a)

In addition to a strong military, Uzziah used the peace-time to employ keepers of his livestock, as well as people working his fields and vineyards in the hills and in the fertile lands, "for he loved the soil." (2 Chronicles 26:10).  Unfortunately, Uzziah got the big head.  He became arrogant and proud.  Look at what happened to him later in his reign:

But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.  He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.  Azariah the priest, with eighty other courageous priests of the Lord, followed him in.  They confronted him and said, "It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord.  That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense.  Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God."  Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry.  While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord's temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.  When Azariah the chief priest and all the other priests looked at him, they saw that he had leprosy on his forehead, so they hurried him out.  Indeed, he himself was eager to leave, because the Lord had afflicted him.  King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died.  He lived in a separate house--leprous and excluded from the temple of the Lord.  Jotham his son had charge of the palace and governed the people of the land. --2 Chronicles 26:16-21

Can't you just imagine this royal figure, who had won so many battles and defeated his enemies, who had overseen the raising of crops and herds and vineyards in the land he governed--can't you just see him deciding that he, himself would give an offering to God.  When the priests scolded him, he shot back at them.  "Who are you to question my authority?  Why, I am King Uzziah.  My fame has spread all the way to Egypt.  People tremble at my name!"

But in the middle of this rant, God sent a reminder of who was in charge.  God hit him right between the eyes with the most feared disease of their time.  Leprosy was unclean, and very contagious.  Not only did God afflict him with this dread disease, but he had the outbreak on his face, where all could see it.  It was not hidden on a more modest part of his body, where it might be covered by his clothing.  Since it was visible to all, he was not only banished from the temple, but also from the palace he called home.  He was relegated to a shack, living alone outside of the seat of power.  All because he had forgotten who had made him successful.  He became selfish and self-centered, even in his act of worship.

We could never become that self-centered, could we?

Recently there was a scandal involving a Christian leader in San Antonio named Doug Phillips.  An attorney and father of eight, Phillips was a publisher of home school curriculum.  He advocated large families, headed by a strong male figure.  He was a published author, writing books such as The Bible Lessons Of John Quincy Adams for His Son (2000) and Poems for Patriarchs (2003).  He founded Vision Forum Ministries as a venue to share his message.  The web page for Vision Forum Ministries includes this statement:

Every age faces crises that may prove defining to it. One of the crisis which history may record as defining our generation is the systematic annihilation of the Biblical family. The family was the first institution created by God and blessed by Christ during His earthly ministry. It is God's primary vehicle for communicating covenant promises to the next generation. It is the basic agency of dominion on earth.

While the family is under attack from every side today, God's sufficient Word provides clear direction and hope to rebuild the family, and it is our goal at Vision Forum to promote courageous fatherhood, noble motherhood, virtuous boyhood and girlhood through vision-casting discipleship tools that teach, equip, and inspire. Whether you are a father who desires to better lead your family, a homeschooling mother who is looking for Biblically-based curriculum choices, or a grandparent, child or young person who desires encouragement in your Christian walk, we have something for you.

But on October 30, 2013, Doug Phillips admitted to a ten year affair with the nanny of his children.  He resigned as chairman of Vision Forum Ministries, and the Board of Directors voted to disband the entire organization because of the shame brought on by this scandal.

What could he have been thinking? Didn't he read his own mission statement?  I think I know.  He probably thought that talking to this young girl helped relieve his stress.  He likely thought that holding her hand and caressing her helped her to understand him better.  He probably thought that being intimate with her made him feel good, and that when he felt good, he was better able to do his job.  He might have even cited Biblical figures who had concubines or multiple wives, in order to justify the affair to himself.  But when it was brought to light, when it was out there for all to see, he was ashamed.  He was outcast.  He was brought low.

This type of thing happens more often than we like to think about.  My wife and I had coffee this week with a woman who goes to our church.  We had just heard a message from Max Lucado.  He was citing his most recent book, You'll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Your Turbulent Times.  The message of the book struck me as one that might help thousands in crisis.  But the woman, who is a friend of my wife, told us how she had come into possession of her copy.  Apparently, her common-law husband had decided several month ago to leave her for a younger woman.  The man and his new girlfriend also go to this church, and they had also heard Lucado touting his book.  So they decided to buy a copy and deliver it to his ex, the woman we were having coffee with.  Along with a copy of the book was a letter, intended to encourage the jilted ex-spouse.

My wife's friend was wishing a public shaming of her ex-husband and his new girlfriend, but she wasn't holding her breath.  Her thought was that they were doing what made them feel good: staying in this adultrous relationship, while applying a balm to their conscience by giving a self-help book to her.  This seems to be the culture of today--doing what feels good.  She vowed to go on without him, but held no real expectation that he would see the error of his ways.  He apparently could not see the absurdity of what he had done.  One day he might, either in this world, or the next.  He may repent, but it will be too late for their relationship.  He doesn't know it now, but he will bear the scars of this decision for years to come.

Oh, that we would think about the long-term consequences of our decisions, rather than reveling  in the turpitude of today.  Look before you leap.  Think before you throw your life away.  Pray before you play.

You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. --Matthew 5:13

What's In A Name

If my people, who are called by my name... (2 Chronicles 7:14)

The life of the prophet Hosea was an allegory--or at least the part during his courtship, marriage, and the naming of his three children.  See, God told Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman.  This was symbolic of the relationship that God had with his people Israel, who had gone after other gods.  It could also be applied to our own lives--"We love him (Jesus) because he first loved us." (I John 4:19).  Many sermons can be written about this relationship.  But today I want to talk about the children.

Hosea's first son was to be named "Jezreel", which means "scattered".  God promised to scatter the children of Israel far from their homeland, and from each other, because of their unfaithfulness to Him.  This was likely less of a punishment, and more about reaping what you sow.  What I mean is, if they wanted to reject the God of Abraham and follow the gods of other Canaanite peoples, then God would reject them, and drive them out of the land He had given to Abraham, and let the people live in exile among the Canaanite people.  They would not be accepted among the Canaanite peoples; in fact, they would be enslaved.  But hey, at least they wouldn't be living among the people of the God they rejected, or in the cities with a history of God-fearing people, ancestors that left a legacy of serving the one and only true God.

This was not God's choice.  Let me repeat:  God did not want this for His children.  Look at what Jesus said in Luke 13:34

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

In fact, the last part of Hosea's first chapter describes how the people of Israel and Judah would be reunited, and the day of Jezreel, that is, the day of scattering, would be a great day--for on that day, all people would be able to know God personally.

Hosea's daughter was born, and God commanded that she be given the name "Lo-Ruhamah", which means "Not Loved".  Can you imagine going through life with the name Not Loved?  This goes against our very nature; we are all programmed with a desire to love and to be loved.  Yet this poor girl's name would forever be Not Loved.

Then, Hosea's third child was born, a son.  God commanded that he be given the name "Lo-Ammi", which means "Not My People".  Again, God was using Hosea's children to make a point with the people of Israel.

I know that at times, I have wished for a different name.  My name is unusual, and for the first eighteen years of my life, I went by a nickname.  But when people ask about my name, I can usually tell them about my family history, and the story of how I received the names that were given to me by my parents.  Imagine, then, the children of Hosea being asked about their names.  "Hey, Scattered.  Come here.  How in the world did you get that name?  Not Loved--girl, why would your mama let you be given that name?  Not My People--dude, where did that even come from?"  I can just imagine them rolling their eyes, and saying, "Like, Dad was just having a bad decade, right? He was just using us to make a point.  And every time we asked him about it, he blamed God, you know?"

God did give them names to prove a point, but there was also a promise.  "Yet the Israelites will be like the sands on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.  In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'Sons of the Living God.'...Say of your brothers, '(You are) My People'  and of your sisters, '(You are) My Loved Ones'." (Hosea 1:10, 2:1)

Fast forward to the ministry of Jesus.  Near the end of his ministry on earth, he was praying for his followers, the ones he had discipled and the ones that they would teach (and so on, and so on, including even you and me!).  Here is what he said:

All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.  And glory has come to me through them (the disciples).  I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.  Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one.  While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me.  None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction, so that Scripture would be fulfilled....My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one." --John 17:10-12, 20-22

Do you realize what a privilege it is to be one of God's children?  To be able to recite the Lord's Prayer, which begins "Our Father", implies that we have been adopted as heirs to the kingdom of God. "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" (1 John 3:1).  If we are in God's family, then we are entitled to all the rights and privileges of children of God:

• We have the power and the prestige of the "family name." 
• We have the responsibility to conduct ourselves as He would have us live, or be subject to His discipline.
• We have a unique position spiritually: the Holy Spirit is in us, we are in Christ, and Christ is in God.  Therefore we have the protection that the name affords, so that nothing that comes against us shall stand.

If you go to a website like ancestry.com, you may be able to trace your family's roots back to its country of origin.  You may be descended from royalty, or from peasants, or even from prisoners, thieves and murderers. You may call this your heritage.  But as children of God, our heritage is the Blood of the Lamb, and our beginnings were from the Creator Himself, when He spoke into the darkness and said, "Let there be Light!"

If you are prone to look at baby books and find out what your name means, you may find that the name your parents gave you has nothing to do with who you are.  My son is called Phillip, which means "Lover of Horses."  To my knowledge, he has never ridden a horse in his life.  My daughter is called Jocelynn, a name meaning "of the Germanic tribe of the Gauts."  Again, to my knowledge, we are not descended from that tribe.  But if you hold fast to the name of Jesus, and are called Christian, then you are associated with "A name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11).