What's in a Name????  

          Many of us have the experience of someone using your name as a way to tease you.  They rhyme your name with something disrespectful and then sing song it. “Itchy Richy” was a favorite used against me. Poison Ivy was another non rhyming poke at me.  Our names matter, how we use them says a lot about us and our relationship with another.   We have a name for the one who holds all things together. We call him God.  He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Son has become human and has the name Jesus. 

            The 2^nd Commandment says “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord in vain”.  Have you ever used God’s name in a way that is not consistent with whom He is?  We give our children a great gift when we teach them to honor God by using his name respectfully.  We don’t use it as an exclamation point. I have heard a modern day take on this commandment is “No OMGs!” (O My God!). Is it honoring to God to use his name as way to comment about someone’s car, or hair, or facebook post?   Don’t be mistaken we should use God’s name often- but in a way that is respectful of whom God is. 

            This command gives us the chance to talk about how we need God’s forgiveness for how we use God and his name to give the impression that we are more spiritual than we are.  Ever pray and think more about how you sound to others than what you are really talking to the creator of the universe about?  Those of us who have been around church awhile are especially prone to this type of commandment breaking. Pastors can so easily fall prey to this kind of evil name dropping. A short article like this gives one more chance to do the same.  Even my repenting and talking about God needs to be washed in the blood of the lamb.  Thank God that Jesus came and lived and died and rose again for commandment breakers like me.