Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
This short, but somber, word can help direct the course of our lives. We do well to realize that when we claim the name of Christian, we become God's ambassadors to a chaotic and hurting world.
The children of Israel did not ever say the name of the Lord. It was too holy to be pronounced by profane lips. It was as if the name carried the essence of God himself. What is said in the name of the Lord needs to be just that holy.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Gospel of John opens with these words. "Word" is a reference to Christ Himself. Jesus Christ was the sacrifice for our sins and the means of reconciling man to God. And scripture calls Him the Word.
If scripture places such importance on Word, can we do any less?
Do not give your word and fail to keep it. Failure to honor your pledge brings disgrace to the name of the Lord. Consequences follow disgracing the Lord's name.
One of those consequences is that a poor witness can keep the unsaved from hearing the good news of the Gospel. To be a stumbling block to another person's salvation or faith has eternal ramifications.
Father, God,
Help us to keep our words and our actions upright, to reflect well upon Your name. Guard our lips that no thoughtless words fall therefrom.
In Jesus' most precious name.
Amen.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment