Exodus 20:1-18
Verse 7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.”
The next thing we need to understand so we can repent in our desire for revival is about the use of God’s name. This is one of those things we can feel very self-righteous about because most of us don’t use His name as a curse word. The thing we miss is how often we say His name without the reverence and thoughtfulness it requires.
It has become so common to use text approved abbreviations and feel ok about them because we aren’t really using His name but don’t we know that is what those letters mean? And even if we say we are meaning those letters to say another word, are those who read it going to think about the word we meant or are they going to read it as God’s name?
The Israelites understood the holiness of God’s name to the point they refused to call Him God. To this day, devote Jews will not even write out the word God. They wanted to make sure there was no chance they were going to misuse His name. He doesn’t command us to that us extreme but there are many ways we don’t give His name the reverence it requires.
There are times we talk about Him without truly giving Him much thought and there may be times we use slang which isn’t specifically using His name, but is referring to Him in a nonchalant way. When we are careless with His name or references to Him we are in essence saying we don’t care about Him. Is that what we really want to be saying about the Lord?
Then there is the fact that as Christians we bear His name meaning however we act and speak is being viewed as a representation of Him. This isn’t something we like to think about as it means we should be living with more awareness of our actions and words, not to make sure they are perfect but to understand how they reflect the level of repentance in our heart. A repentant heart will know God in such a way which wants to make sure He is known in the fullness of His holiness. We need to use His name only to point to Him and who He is.
Making It Personal
How flippant are you with the Lord’s name? Would He approve of how you represent Him? What needs to change in your thinking to put His name in its proper place in your life?
Making It Personal Kids
Do you give much thought to how you talk about Jesus and God? How do you think Jesus wants you to use His name? Do you need to change how you talk about Him?
Closing Prayer
Father, we repent of the times and ways we have used Your name irreverently. Give us conviction and wisdom to know how to use Your name in ways which please You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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