17The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive: Shealtiel his son,
We can get some pretty nasty labels attached to us, can’t we! I had two growing up that did not reflect my own image of myself. We often don’t get to choose which labels stick, and which ones fall away. I was never labeled “fatty”, “beanstalk” or “drunk”, but the labels I had were just as harmful. I listen to the names that spouses call each other and I am appalled. As spouses we can say some of the worst things. We would never say these things to a stranger or our boss, but we say them to our spouses. Jehoiachin was the first king of Israel to be captured and taken into captivity. Imagine the President being captured and taken to a foreign country to live. What an embarrassment to our nation. And yet, this is exactly what happened in Israel. Jehoiachin went from being king to being a captive. In Christ we go from being a slave to sin to being a child of God. We give up the label of sinner and get the label saint. But just like Jehoiachin, we don’t just get a label, we become the label. We become a child of God, a joint heir with Christ. We don’t just act like a person destined for heaven, we become one. Jehoiachin actually became a captive. Someone else determined what he would do each day. He served someone else’s needs and wants. He was not his own man. So, when we become a Jesus-follower, we give up the right to be our own boss. We serve Him, and do what He directs. So, are you living up to your new label?
The Arnold Journey 