What's In a Name?

Before I truly surrendered my life to the Lord, to say that I wasn’t living for the Lord was a colossal understatement. I hated most everyone and everything, including myself. I was perpetually high from drugs, because there was hardly a day or hour that I was not on something. I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. I was sexually impure. I stole from people and businesses. I was arrested for grand larceny. I participated in witchcraft and satan worshipping. I tried to commit suicide. I mutilated myself constantly. There was nothing under the sun that was not honoring to God that I was not willing to try. Well, almost nothing…

I tell of my past not to highlight my previous sinful nature, but to relay how truly sinful my nature was. I was willing to participate in just about anything that was of darkness, lewdness, and wickedness. However, there was one thing that I could not bring myself to do. There was one thing that was worse to me than doing any drug, than robbing, than sexual exploits, and a greater evil to me than witchcraft.

The one thing that in all my plethora of sins that I could not bring myself to do was to say the Lord’s name in vain. Somehow I knew deep inside that He was ultimate, supreme, and holy whether I surrendered to that or not, and so had this divine fear of using His name in an unholy manner.

The crazy thing is that I hear Christian people throw His name around and use expressions with His name in them with careless ease. There is no honor. There is no reverence. Just a silly expression thrown in there with every other thoughtless phrase. What has baffled me for the past 17 years is how a satan worshipper has more reverence for the name of God than a large number of Christians I know.

Let’s start with the obvious. There were hundreds of commands given by none other than God Himself! However, only a few made the top ten list.

#3 – Exodus 20:7

You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

Do not commit adultery. Check. Do not worship idols. Check. Do not murder. Check. Do not use the Lord’s name in vain…. Nope. Sorry. I’m okay with not murdering, but I’d rather not give honor to the Lord’s name. Are we really that confused with these commandments?

Psalm 139:19

If You would [only] slay the wicked, O God, and the men of blood depart from me...

Who were these wicked men that David is describing in this psalm? The next verse tells us:

Vs. 20 -

They blaspheme You; Your enemies who take Your name in vain!

David described that only an enemy of God would dare take His name in vain. I’m afraid our culture has lost all idea of what it means to honor a name. I read a beautifully written article on this topic by Don Wilton. He brings up some poignant aspects to this topic.

• When Jesus tells us how we should pray, He starts out with: Our Father in heaven, Holy is Your Name. Jesus teaches us to recognize that when we use our Father’s name, we must use it in a way that we show acknowledgement of the holiness of His name.

• In the Old Testament times, God’s name was so holy that it was only written with consonants so that no one could pronounce it out loud.

This was a culture that understood how Holy our Lord is. Our culture today couldn’t care less, and it breaks my heart. Our irreverence and juvenile disrespect over such a sovereign name is disheartening and upsetting.

Acts 4:12

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.

Philippians 2:10

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth

Our Lord God, Holy is Your Name. Every part of You is Holy. Your Name saves, redeems, restores, and heals. Your Name is a strong tower by which I am saved. I am sorry for when I have misused Your Name. You deserve honor and reverence every time I utter Your Name. Please forgive me for when my lips have sinned against You. Please forgive our nation for carelessly throwing Your name around with other curse words. Please forgive our degradation of Your Name. Please show me where I have been wrong and help me to honor You and Your name from this point forward. Thank You for Your mercy and Your unfailing love.

http://billygraham.org/decision-magazine/may-2013/you-shall-not-take-the-lords-name-in-vain/

#godsname