TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE

DEVOTIONAL

by Sandra Chua

There was this awful guy who called me “rabbit” when I was in grade 3. I had big front teeth… Well, maybe I should say I still have big front teeth. It’s true that I looked like a rabbit, but it really irritated me. My eldest daughter still teases me the same way, and she lets out a chuckle whenever I glare back at her. 

Names given by our parents express hope in what they like us to be in the future. Parents would name their children after people they admire or in memory of someone they love. Names given by our peers, however, often describe who they see, and it’s usually a negative trait. 

God has different names in the Bible. His names give us insight into His character. Here, in Gen. 17:1, He introduces Himself as God Almighty. Almighty means omnipotent, all-powerful. In Hebrew, it is šaday, translated as Shaddai. 

In this chapter, God gave Abram a new name, “Abraham,” to reflect what his new role would be: “Father of Many Nations.” To Sarai, He gave the name “Sarah” because she would become “The Mother of Many Nations.”

As Christians, God has called us new names, too. He has called us friends. John 15:14 says, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” He calls us brothers, sisters, and mothers. Mark 3:35 says, “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

In the future, God will give us a new name. Revelation 2:17 says, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

REFLECTION

What does it mean to You that God is God Almighty?

PRAYER