I Chronicles 4:9-10 "And Jabez was more honourable than his brethren: and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, Because I bare him with sorrow. And Jabez called on the God of Israel. . . ."
What's in a Name?
What do you think of when you hear the name Jabez? If you know anything about Jabez, you probably think of his prayer in I Chronicles 4. More than likely, you do not think about what his name really means: sorrow! Why did his mother name him "sorrow"? I'm not sure, but it was not exactly a snappy beginning to his life!
Years ago when my grandfather went to the Congo in the 1950's, it was a common practice among the tribal people to name their kids the worst name they could think of. In their thinking, the Devil hated them and would do their kids harm if they appeared to love them. They chose names like "Utterly Worthless" and "Ugly Monkey"! Can you imagine getting a name like that or a name like "sorrow"?
Regardless of the circumstances of your birth, God is both capable and caring. Jabez "called on the God of Israel," but more importantly, he saw the "God of Israel" as the God of Jabez. In contrast to David's sons, Jabez had no privileged standing at birth; his own mother named him sorrow! Don't miss the truth that you can do one of two things with the name you have today: you can accept it blindly, or you can do something about it. What your name means to other people is purely a matter of what you make it mean!
Today, you have the name your parents gave you and the name you give yourself. Jabez started out as sorrow, but he ended up with God giving him what he asked for! A dishonorable name by birth was transformed into an honorable name by living. Begin today with the end in mind. That is, if you want to end up being reliable, start that way today. If you want to end up being honest, determine to be truthful in everything today. What's in a name? Well, I guess that depends on what you make of it!
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