21st. February. 2022. Daily Devotion.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. Exodus 20:7
God created the universe and claims us as his own. God is the holy and perfect One whose name is above all names. No other name should be so highly honoured.
God is also the one who loves us perfectly. God cares for us and provides for us each day. God is faithful and always keeps his promises.
Why, then, would we disrespect God by misusing his name?
I had a Jewish student who would write only “G_d” on her papers so that she would not use the full name for God. That kind of respect for the name of God may be extreme, but in our culture today people have often swerved to the other extreme. For example, the letters OMG have become a social meme. This is used like an exclamation point in conversations that are trite, even narcissistic. Using God’s name in such contexts is disgraceful to the one whose name is above all names. Let’s give honour to the Lord our God in all we think, say, and do. K. Van Til.
Forgive us, Lord, if we have misused your name. Help us to call each other to account when we do. Help us to use your name so that others can see that we love and honour you. Amen.
Jesus our guest, none of our communities include everyone. There are many places we set aside for our own safety, identity or privacy, or through prejudice or presumption. We find it hard to make space for people we consider unsavoury – people who use obscene language or who hold views we find offensive. How often have we shut out others just by our presence, never mind our words and actions? Lord have mercy.
You alone will open the longed-for space for all in your commonwealth of love and grace, when you judge the nations, heal our divisions, and transform our communities. What you started in Galilee, continue now. Through your Spirit, come, be our guest. Widen our circle again. Amen
Give to us, Lord, the peace of those who have learnt to serve you, the joy of those who are glad to obey you and the delight of those who rejoice in y our praise, through Christ our Lord. Amen. Aidan of Lindisfarne d.651
Give us courage, O Lord, to stand up and be counted, to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves, to stand up for ourselves when it is needful for us to do so. Let us fear nothing more than we fear you. Let us love nothing more than we love you. For thus shall we fear nothing also. Let us have no other God before you, whether nation or party or state or church. Let us seek no other peace but the peace which is yours, and make us its instruments, opening our eyes and our ears and our hearts, so that we should know always what work of peace we may do for you. Amen. Alan Paton.