Ten Core Values for the Christian life (3)

Jesus taught His disciples to pray: Our Father in heaven: May your holy name be honored (Matthew 6:9).

To honor the name of the Lord comes as the opposite of misusing that name, or using that name in vain. And that brings us to part 3 in this new blog series, to the third commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Exodus 20:7).

It is one thing to claim we don’t use the Lord’s name in vain. We don't swear, we don't misuse His name. But for what purposes do we use His name? 

Are we bringing honor to His name? Do we have a genuine love for His name? Is everything we do and say then, done in His name?

‘Lord’ is not a word to end our sentences with when we talk to Him, nor is it a filler to make our prayers sound more holy and authentic. ‘Lord’ (YHWH) is His personal revelatory name and He gave it to us for use on a daily basis. Why?

Because God's presence is connected to His name.

• In Exodus 20:25b, for example, God says Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.
• Or, as Jesus said, in Matthew 18:20: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
• And let's not forget the announcement of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:23): Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.

Whenever we call on the name of the Lord, He will be right there. His presence is in His name.

👉The core value I have attached to the third commandment is PRESENCE

We seek the presence of God daily by honoring His name and His presence brings peace, healing, and revelation.

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For more on this topic, read my book 'In My Name' (Inviting God's holy presence in daily situations). The book is available on Amazon in your country.