Dear World, Please Stop Vomiting Up His Name
(Part 1 of 3)
Because our world countries are joining together for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, I decided to reach out to Lift Him Up readers, who represent over 100 countries, and ask you to share the eternal importance of never momentarily taking our Lord’s name in vain.
Lift Him Up readership expands worldwide and includes the following countries:
United States of America, Albania, Austria, Australia, Argentina, Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda, Bahrain, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Caribbean Netherlands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rico, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Sint Maartin, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent & Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Today’s post is the first of a three part series designed to bring global attention to the constant misuse of the holy names God and Jesus. Part 1 explains the history of God’s name. Once we understand the eternal importance of keeping His name holy, I pray we are inclined to change personal misuse, repent and ask forgiveness.
Then we can begin to share the depth of following our Lord’s Third Commandment with country man and women living around us. Imagine the global impact of initiating one simple action: Tell the world God’s name is holy.
This three part series contains excerpts from my book titled: Lift Him Up don’t Pull Him Down, The eternal importance of never momentarily taking our Lord’s name in vain.
Do expressions like these sound familiar to you?
“Oh dear G**! That is the cutest purse I have ever seen!”
“I told you to shut the door. C*****! Why can’t you ever listen?”
“J**** C*****! That golf shot is the longest drive of the day.”
In our everyday life is it really necessary to totally bash the name of our heavenly Father, be it tragedy or trivial? To use His holy name for thoughtless expression? Does it really amplify any adjective or validate any verb? The only thing statements like these do, is drag His name, the Alpha and Omega, down to our lower, imperfect human level.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. In this verse from the book of Revelation, God tells us He is first and last. The Eternal Ruler of the past, present and future. Our God who exists in the past, is constant in the present, and is eternal in the future, should be exalted above all, nothing less. There is no one else who magnifies all three dimensions.
Yes—we misuse the holy name of God in excitement, during happy moments when no ill feelings are involved. But some have a hard time understanding that expressing His name in any unglorified manner, regardless if our emotion is joy or sorrow, is wrong. There is a bigger picture that we have to examine. To exaggerate His name as an exclamation in common excitement, whether in happiness or in anger, is not how we are instructed in the Bible to use His holy name.
Psalm 29:2 tells us to “Ascribe to the LORD, the glory due his name;”. This verse does not limit the time or place we are to offer Him glory. We are not confined to offering glory only in a church setting. We are instructed to do so each time we speak His name, because The Name consistently stands firm in meaning. God daily:
- Sustains
- Provides
- Heals
- Comforts
- Loves
What God does not stand for is—momentary emotions.
Yet we are purging His name from our insides, out into the air as a mere exaggeration of current circumstances. This is gushing false glory. Of course we are happy about the “cutest purse” or “the longest drive of the day.” But with that one quick statement we are disrespecting the name of the Eternal Ruler, because we use His title in vain as the exclaiming WOW! factor.
Moses, God’s man of choice to lead the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt, was the one who finally thought to ask God what His name was because G – O – D is not His name. It is a title, a moniker for the Supreme Being; Creator of the universe.
Egyptian people had a complex society of many gods with different names. Because of this, Moses wanted to make sure the Israelites understood who sent him to them; to share the message of leading them out of slavery and into a land flowing with milk and honey. That is why Moses specifically asked God what His name is, when he talked with God at the Burning Bush. Moses absolutely wanted the Israelites to know the true name of God.
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
This meant that HE IS, and that is all. Nothing more needed to be added. Just like Hebrew men were named for their character, this name is God’s character. His surroundings, His identity. “I AM WHO I AM.” So how can we believe we add glory to His title, or to His Son, God in the flesh Jesus Christ, when we use The Name in unrighteous statements?
(Next week’s Part 2 post focuses on how we correctly and incorrectly use God’s name. Part 3 will be why God wants us to follow His third commandment.)
Listen to Matt Redman’s Blessed Be Your Name. A beautiful and uplifting worship song that will surely inspire you to bless God’s name throughout your day.
Tell The World God’s Name Is Holy, by sharing this on Facebook.
Order copies of Lift Him Up don’t Pull Him Down @ Lulu.com or Amazon.com for your next season’s Bible study. Let’s commit worldwide to Tell The World God’s Name Is Holy.
Lift Him Up 