"False Labels - Part 2"

"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Judges 6:12

Yesterday we talked about the fact that just because something is labeled one thing doesn't necessarily mean it is what the label says it is. I used the example of my automatic dishwasher. The label says that it is the "Quiet Pack", but it is any thing but quiet while it is running. We compared that analogy to those people who profess to be Christians but their actions don't back up their claim- they only have a label of Christianity, but it's a false label.

This morning I want to talk again about "false labels" but I want us to look at the subject in a different area- the labels other people put on us. When I read the account of Gideon, I immediately label him a coward. When the Lord called him, he was threshing wheat in a wine vat so that the enemy would not see him. He was fearful of the enemy so he was doing his work in hiding. I am not alone in my estimation of Gideon because I have heard many sermons refer to him the same way.

People, even in our own families, are always labeling us. They label us by what we do and even by what we have done in the past. They did it in the Bible: Mary Magdalene, who was possessed of seven devils; Jephthah, the son of a harlot; Matthew, the tax collector; Jesus, the son of a carpenter, etc. Some of the labels given to us by other people may have been true in the past, but when we have come to Christ those labels change. We are no longer the people we once were.

People remember what you do, and some of them won't let you forget it. Just like with Gideon, we labeled him a coward based on past performance. The labels that people give you are not the ones that count. It's the label that God places on you that really matters. God labeled Gideon a might man of valor so that was Gideon's true label. This morning other people may be labeling you according to your past, but their label is false. Who you really are is who God says you are- the label He places on you. And His label is a true label, not a false one.

Have a great day. They may still label you by what you once were, but it's the label that God places on you that is the true label.