Respect God

You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

Exodus 20:7

GOD’S NAME IS a statement of who He is. He is holy, good, true, and beautiful, and His nature, attributes, glory, and works are all included in His wonderful name. In Scripture when a person encountered God, it was often an unsettling experience. Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me!” (Isaiah 6:5, HCSB), Daniel passed out with his face to the ground (Daniel 10:7-8), and John “fell at His feet like a dead man” (Revelation 1:17, HCSB). Scripture makes it clear that God is to be feared—to be regarded with reverential awe.

There is such a thing as being too casual with God. It’s not that He is unapproachable or distant; it’s that He is great and glorious beyond comprehension. Our worship is diminished when we diminish God. The goal is to see Him as accurately as we can. That will produce true worship.

To misuse God’s name means to take Him lightly. It is to shrink His greatness and minimize His glory. It can be an attempt to reduce Him to manageable proportions. It can look like “name it and claim it” theology, where we expect God to give us whatever we want. (To say God is on your side is not to say that God serves your agenda. He does whatever He pleases, whatever is best.) And yet our God is approachable. We can call Him “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6). He loves us greatly.

BOTTOM LINE

Respect for who God is, for His name, is a must. And when we see more of how good and great He is, worship and obedience are our natural responses.

Moment of Strength: Exodus 19:16-19