I like my Lord’s name. I really do!
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NKJV
When I was little, my parents told us not to say “Oh my gosh!” or “Geez.” Why? Because they thought those words were close to using God’s name without really meaning it.
We didn’t get it back then, but now we do. Nowadays, God’s name is often used without thinking, just to express surprise when we shout, “Oh my G—!” Or many people even use it as a swear word, which is so disrespectful.
Not to be legalistic, but in the Old Testament the name of God, Yahweh, was so sacred they wouldn’t say it or write it down completely. Instead they would say or write, “Yah—-.” It was one of their 10 commandments to not use God’s name without reason, or in vain.
However, soon they also started worshiping other gods who weren’t really God. They were disrespectful to, and even ashamed of His name, because they were proud and forgot all the good things He had done for them. So God said:
“I’m going to show how holy my great name is—the name that brought shame to you among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.” Ezekiel 36:23-24 NLT
Did you get that? God’s holiness in them would be seen by others in order to awaken their awareness of their own need for God! And to accomplish that, God said He would give them a new heart!
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 NLT
So let’s protect our new heart and love for the holy name of our God. Let’s exalt the incredible name of Jesus, and not cheapen it by careless usage. Sinners are watching us, hoping to discover God’s true love!