Your Daily Devotional for August 8, 2007

 

August 8,  2007

 

 

Protecting God's Name

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

 

"Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."

 

Matthew 12:31-32

 

 

I once heard the story told about the surrender of the Confederacy at Appomattox Courthouse as the Civil War concluded. General Grant was an unusual man. Knowing the war was over and the victory was his, he showed great and unusual kindness and respect toward the chief general of the Confederates. He allowed General Robert E. Lee to ride freely in and out of the area. He also allowed the Confederate men to keep their possessions and horses. Grant gave them food because they were hungry and let them all go home undisturbed. Lee was permanently touched by Grant's kindness.

 

After the war, Lee took a job at Washington University in Virginia. On one occasion, one of his fellow instructors, also a Southerner, began to speak poorly of Grant to Lee (assuming he would receive a sympathetic audience). Lee turned, looked the man straight in the eye, and said, "Sir, if you ever again presume to speak disrespectfully of General Grant in my presence, either you or I will sever his connection with this university." Because General Lee had received such kindness from Grant, he treasured and protected the good name of the one who had showed him such kindness.

 

Even as Lee protected Grant's name because of his kindness, we must protect our Lord's name because of all that He has done for us! We learned yesterday that God's name is holy and highly exalted. As His children, we must seek to glorify and honor His name in all we do. We must also seek to protect His name from being misused.

 

We must protect God's name from distortion. Many times we can want to do something and say that God has given us a peace about it when we have not truly prayed about it. We must not justify our own personal desires by saying the matter is God's will if we have not prayed over it. That is misusing God's name! We must truly seek God's face and obtain His peace to protect His name from distortion.

 

We must also protect God's name from desecration. Exodus 20:7 says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." The word vain in that verse means "using in the sense of desolating; emptiness, vanity, falsehood; emptiness of speech, lying worthlessness (of conduct)."  We should not simply say God's name without meaning. It should not be so common to us that we fail to realize the respect and reverence that is attached to God's name! We must not desecrate God's name, but must seek to preserve the holiness that it holds.

 

Woodrow Wilson's father was a Presbyterian minister. He was with a man who took the Lord's name in vain. The man said, "Oh I am sorry Reverend Wilson." The reply was, "Sir, your apology is not owed to me."

 

While many people in our society flippantly take the Lord's name in vain, we must seek to protect His name from distortion and desecration. While we may never think of taking God's name in vain, we can sometimes be guilty of misusing God's name. We must make sure every time we use God's name that it is in a reverential and uplifting manner.

Are you protecting God's name by giving Him honor and praise each time you use His name? It can sometimes be easy to let God's name become so common that we fail to reverence Him each time we use it. Take time now to ask God to help you protect His name today.

 

 

 

 

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 74-76 • Romans 9:16-33

 

 

 

 

 

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