"Pa, let's play David and Goliath." My grandson and I play all kinds of games ranging from kings and heroes to dinosaurs. At any point in the game my grandson may change from being Petri the Pterodactyl to Spiderman. As my daughter and I walked with her children last night I ranged from being the Hulk to Boots, a small monkey (quite a contrast). My grandson became Ironman and then Diago the adventurer. With the name changes came complete changes in our responses to eachother and the world. We had a lot of fun.
As we laughed together and played, a huge dalmation dog, the size of Humungosaur compared to my grandson, decided to join in with the game. He wanted to be included in our range of super heroes and adventurers and bounded up to my grandson, licking him on the face. It was quite a shock for my grandson to be confronted with a monster dog. But his motives were good - HE WANTED TO BE INCLUDED.
As I read Genesis 17:2, I want to be INCLUDED IN THE PROMISE God made to Abraham! I want to be included in the plans of God to bless the earth! I want to be included in the conversations Abraham has with God. I want a name change that reveals who God wants me to be. And Romans 11:17 tells me that I am included! "But some of these branches from Abraham's tree-some of the people of Israel-have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special olive tree." (NLT)