What's In A Name?

 

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 

Exodus 20: 7     NKJV 

I was listening this week to a radio preacher go through his tour of the Old Testament and the ten commandments.  As he did, I felt that sting of guilt once more.  I was once again reminded of where I had been, and what I had done.  Granted, the intent of the Lords commandments is not to make the children He loves so much feel guilty, but to provide His guidance.  That guidance has apparently been lost on me for awhile.  See, I have this habit that where I pronounce certain words in times of anger and frustration.  I know that we've all been there, but I was once again reminded of my faults by a hack radio preacher.  Do I do this maliciously?  Not at all.  I've simply gotten into the habit, as many others have, of saying certain things in certain situations.  I get it.  The good news for me is that this means that I can certainly retrain my habits.  But that's not the point of todays post.  Today I venture the question, what's in a name?  What is it about a name that would make us desire to never bring shame to it?  What is it about the very name of the Lord that should make us hold it in such high esteem that speaking ill of it would bring about feelings of guilt?  Well, if we take a look into who exactly God is we soon realize how very important He is to us.  He is God, the creator of the universe and all we will ever know and see {Genesis 1:1}.  He is God, who loved me enough to create me in His own image {Genesis 1:27}.  He is God, who loved me enough to redeem me that His Son would come to be in me {Galatians 2:20}.  He is God, and His name is above all names.  He is God our provider.  He is God our protector.  He is...God.  For these reasons, the name of the Lord should be uttered by me in love and never in happenstance.  The name of the Lord should never be a substitute to somehow make my conversations seem that much more important.  The Lords name should never be used to add emphasis to any situation.  He is God.  

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

1 John 4: 15 NKJV 

I find it hard to believe that we hold the name of our families above the name of the Lord, but it's true.  I have seen many times where someone took it as a personal offense when someone disparaged their family name.  However, they would be the first ones to let the name of the Lord slip past their lips in a not so gracious manner.  Should we believers be at all concerned by our casual uses of Gods name?  I think so.  If a radio preacher speaking on not using the Lords name in vain can make me feel the twinge of guilt, imagine what he's doing to the average Christian out there.  Yet, I don't feel that we should revere the name of the Lord out of guilt or shame.  That's no longer part of our life {Romans 8:1}.  The way I see it, we should revere the name of the Lord because of what He has already done in us and through us.  We love Him because He first loved us {1 John 4:19}.  We love Him because He has made our sin a past tense in our lives {Romans 6:6}.  We love Him for His Son who now lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Is our love for the Lord any different for the love we feel for our own families who at one time or another provided for us?  Yet our families will never be able to provide for us what the Lord has already done.  Our love and reverence for Him should reflect our one true heart for Him.  He is God our provider.  He is God our Savior.  He is God.  

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

Philippians 2: 9 - 11 NKJV 

~Scott~