Words are powerful, but sometimes it’s hard to grasp the concept of just how powerful they are.
Some words have been remembered over the years because of the speaker who said them. Some have been remembered because of their message. And then there are the words that stick in people’s minds because of the terrible reputation they have been given.
What makes a bad word a bad word? It’s not so much the arrangement of the letters as it is the meaning behind the word. Take an ordinary word, use it out of context, and suddenly it’s making people gasp and flinch.
But what about the name of God? Many people, even Christians, causally throw out words like “Oh my God,” in their everyday conversations without even thinking about what they are saying.
Sometimes people even go as far as to pair God’s name with other words that should never be spoken in a civilized conversation.
God specifically said in Exodus 20:7, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
Now that’s a scary thought.
People shouldn’t be afraid to use God’s name in a time of praise or a time of need. But there’s a difference between talking to God and using his name when making no real reference to him.
It’s important to understand why God’s name shouldn’t be misused. When people refer to God they are referring to someone so pure and clean and holy the human mind can’t even fathom it. To use the name of the Savior in such a casual way is disrespectful. And to treat it as a foul word is downright dishonorable.
In Psalm 19:14, David wrote, “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” Christians should be mindful of this verse whenever they open their mouths to speak.
God loves his people so much he sent his son to pay the ultimate price so everyone can live with him forever. Using his name with dishonor and disrespect is a pretty poor way to repay him.
Christians have the eyes of the world on them. It’s impossible to show others the love of Christ if his name isn’t treated with the respect it deserves.
