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What’s in a Name?

How many of you like your name? How many of you know what  your name means? My name(s), first and middle, mean “the strong one” and “nobleman.” Interestingly, my Chinese name means “mighty warrior.”

They recently did a review of the most popular baby names in Alberta for 2014 and the winners were, “Liam” for a boy and “Olivia” for a girl. One the other side of the coin, the oddest names include Logic, One, Jixxr for boys and Siri, Lava, Conshens and Eunique for girls.

Do you care about your name? Do you like it when people slander you or say things that aren’t true about you? Have you ever had that happen?

I have. No one enjoys that. We want to protect our name. The Bible says that “a good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold” (Proverbs 22:1).

God cares about His name, too. And He tells us, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). The words in vain literally could be translated “in an empty, idle, insincere, frivolous way.”

So how do people take the Lord’s name in vain? One obvious way is profanity. I can remember watching television and movies when the use of Jesus Christ as profanity was very rare. In fact, the use of Jesus’ name as profanity often changed the rating of a movie!

Isn’t it interesting how people use the name of Jesus Christ so often today? Even nonbelievers, in their spiritually deadened state, know there is something different about the name of Jesus. We don’t hear people exclaiming, “Buddha!” or “Hare Krishna!” or “Mohammad!” In a backhanded way, nonbelievers acknowledge the power of Jesus even when they’re misusing His name.

Another way people take His name in vain is by saying “I swear to God.” Jesus said, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). Your word should be enough.

Let me add another way that people take God’s name in vain that’s important for us to be aware of: Saying “Oh my God” a lot. That seems to be a popular phrase now. But it’s taking God’s name in vain. The same goes for texting OMG. In a sense when we do that, we are using God’s name in an empty way.

We get upset if people use our names in inappropriate ways or slander us with gossip and lies. God does too. God cares about His name, and as followers and friends of His, so should we.

Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

If in eternity every knee will bow before His name, shouldn’t we as followers and worshipers of Him today show Him the respect and honour due Him? So, what’s in a name? With Jesus… everything.

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