What's your name

If you have been given a nickname in Sports you can bet its pretty stinkin cool. Everything from "The Rock", "Primetime", "Flo Jo"....you know you are awesome if you have been given an awesome nickname. Our family is no different....my kids love giving nicknames and love when we give them nicknames. It's like whatever name we give them they take on that persona. Here are some of the Roberts nicknames:  The Hulk, Speedy Gonzalez, Princess, Baby girl, Meal Ticket and we all fall under the nickname Team Roberts. It doesn't matter if we are referred to by our name, our nickname, or our family name we take pride in the identity we have been given. The crazy thing about our family is when someone comes over that they don't know very well, or we are out in public with people we don't know...its like they forget their identity and go crazy.  We had one of Chris' football players over for dinner this week and I thought "who are these children?" They are not doing any of the manners we taught them, they are not behaving in a way that we usually do at dinner time...its like they have totally forgotten who they are...where is my princess? Where is my Hulk?, where is my meal ticket?, Where is Team Roberts? Can you relate?
Jesus Can
Jesus had a great relationship with Peter. Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends, followers, and disciples. One day their relationship changed...The day that Peter got a new nickname.
In Matthew 16:13-20, Jesus asked Peter who he thinks Jesus is and without hesitation Peter says, "Messiah, Son of the Living God." And Jesus replies, "...Now I say to you that you are Peter (Which means 'rock') and upon the rock I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven..."
Peter proclaims who Jesus is to Him and in turn Jesus proclaims who Peter is in Christ
The Rock! How would you like to be given that nickname by the Son of God? That is awesome! He gave him that name because He knew that Peter was going to live up to the nickname, live up to the identity that he has now found in Christ. What a great moment! Then it happens...
Peter finds himself among the world, among people who he doesn't know and is questioning him about this man named Jesus. And the "Rock" failed. "The Rock" failed 3 times when he denied even knowing Jesus. Where was the Rock who said he would never leave Jesus? Where was the Rock who said he would die for Jesus? Oh but Jesus remained faithful to Peters identity in Christ. Even though Peter was faithless at one point, God remained faithful. You see, God doesn't just forgive he restores. After Jesus rose from the dead and was walking and talking with Peter. He asked Peter 3 times "Do you love me Peter?" Peter may have forgotten who he was but Jesus never did. Peter asked for forgiveness and then fulfilled the identity in which Christ had given him.
We all have been given an identity in Christ. May be yours is Rock because it is your rock solid faith that is holding your family together. May be yours is Princess because you need to know that you are beautiful because you are the daughter of the King. May be yours is Leader because God is going to do great things through you for His Kingdom. Like Peter and my children, some have forgotten their identity and who they represent and need to return to it. Some  have no idea what it is because they have never met Christ. We need to learn from Peter that we have to know who we are in Christ before we can fulfill our purpose in Christ. Lose our identity-lose our purpose. Find our identity-find our purpose.
So....what's your name?