“A Word of Truth” from Immanuel Lutheran Church of Mankato…
A Word of Truth #110
God’s name—both the actual names and what we know about Him—is often abused. It is abused through false teaching about Him. It is abused through the ridicule and dismissal of who He is, what He commands, what He has done, and what He promises. His name is abused in speaking curses and expressing anger or hatred toward someone or something.
God did not reveal His name so that it could be the punchline of a joke. He did not reveal His name to be sprinkled throughout mundane conversation. He did not reveal His name to serve as an exclamation point at the end of a sentence. God did not reveal His name to be used with a desire for physical or spiritual harm. Rather, God has given us His name for our blessing, especially for the blessing of knowing Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin. God says, “In every place where I record My Name, I will come to you, and I will bless you” (Exodus 20:24).
A Word of Truth #111
"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.” God is serious about His name and commands us to use it properly. Unfortunately, many people use God’s name as an expletive more often than they do in worship and praise. That is so very sad. God has revealed His name in order to bring great blessing into our lives and to secure for us an eternal future.
Satan, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to have us misuse God’s name and so to treat it lightly. If he can succeed in getting us to use the name of God or Jesus Christ to curse or to swear, he knows that he will be better able to blind our eyes to God’s grace and mercy. God urges us to call upon His name in times of trouble and to use His name in worship, praise, and thanksgiving. When we do so, we will experience great blessing!
This has been “A Word of Truth” from Immanuel Lutheran Church of Mankato.
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