NO LONGER A BUZZARD

Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a NEW NAME which no one knows except him who receives it.”

Sunday morning, sitting on a fence, by the side of the road, sat a huge bird.  “A BUZZARD,” said Steve and a chill went down my spine.  A beautiful Hawk; a majestic Eagle and my reaction would have been totally different.  I would have pulled over just to view it and tried to capture its beauty by taking a picture, but this was a Buzzard.

It really isn’t that the bird looks so horrible that I draw back in horror; no, it is because of its Nature. A Buzzard doesn’t catch the wind and soar majestically to the heights; a buzzard flies low and rides on thermals.  A Buzzard doesn’t have the sweet voice of the song bird or even the tweet of the Robin, welcoming the day; instead it only vocalizes grunts and hisses.  Buzzards lurk, fly low, looking for dead and decaying things on which to feed. ITS NATURE is to desire smelly, rotten flesh…IT IS A BUZZARD.

1 Samuel 4:21 Then she named the child, Ichabod, saying “The glory has departed from Israel!”

In 1 Samuel 4, we read that Israel went to battle and carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle with them, against the plan of God.  The Ark was captured by the Philistines and the two sons of the Eli, the Priest were killed.  When Eli’s pregnant daughter in law heard that her husband was dead and the Ark had been captured, she went into labor.  She was so overcome with grief, that when her son was born, she would have nothing to do with him and named him “The glory has departed from Israel: ICHABOD.” 

Can you imagine, an innocent child, forever bearing and proclaiming the shame of Israel, each time he heard his name.  I have often wondered, what kind of childhood did he have?  Was he teased and ridiculed?  Did his nature come to reflect his name?  Did he resent his Mother for making him the symbol of one of the darkest days in Israel’s history, just because of his name?

WHAT IF YOUR NAME REFLECTED THE PERSON YOU ARE DEEP DOWN; YOUR NATURE? 

Would you want to be called by the “Nature” you portray to the world around you?  Yes it would be horrible to be called by our nature; to be known around town by the name of your worst deeds. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

GOOD NEWS….You are not “stuck” with the name ICHABOD…You are no longer a BUZZARD, feeding on the dead and decaying carrion of this world…You do not have to be known eternally as ICHABOD…Jesus made a way. 

When you come to Jesus Christ; when you have been baptized and received His Holy Spirit, you take on HIS NAME and HIS NATURE.  The stain of ICHABOD, “the glory has departed,” is removed and JESUS, the Glory of God is applied…

YOU ARE A NEW CREATION….WITH A NEW NAME!

Wear His Name proudly; proclaim your New Name and let your New Nature reflect who you are in Christ Jesus!