FAITH CAPSULE: What does your name stand for?

1 Samuel 1

Give a meaningful positive name to the child. 
What are you called that you answer to?
Is your name affecting your world positively?
Through the Bible, the testimony of the life of many is the evidence of the name answers to.
For example, Shiphrah and Puah lived their name to affect their world positively. 
Shiphrah means Beautiful One.
Puah means Splendid One. 
When Pharaoh attempted to reduce the male children of the Israelites at birth, he commanded midwives named Shiphrah and Puah, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” (Exodus 1:16) 
Beautiful and Splendid woman disappointed Pharaoh and did not answer as an agent of the killer of the sons of Hebrew women.
What is it about your name that is affecting your world positively?
Hannah named her son Samuel meaning, “…because I have asked for him from the Lord.” (1 Samuel 1:20) 
After years of barrenness, God answered her, and she named her child Samuel. 
The name Samuel is one answered by God. 
Samuel greatly affected his world positively as a prophet of God. 
As a child, he was in a position when the word of God was rare. 
Samuel touched his people as the Bible testifies, “So Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the Lord.” (1 Samuel 3:19-20) 
The name of Samuel answered to the glory of God.
What does your name stand for? 
Bible records, “And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” (Acts 4:36-37)
The word of God is a purpose of encouragement but not storytelling with no meaning to affect life.
Joses did not live as a vessel of discouragement to the body of believers yesterday and tomorrow.
Have you ever asked yourself what your name means?”
Search for the meaning of your name to determine if there is a need to change your name to live a positive life. 
The name, Jabez, means pain.
Jabez prayed for a change of his name. 
1 Chronicle 4:9-10 records, “Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.” 
In life, ask for a name that will positively affect your generation to the glory of God.

Prayer for today: Ask for a meaningful and positive name.