Fathers often use this
passage of Scripture to explain to their sons the importance of ones reputation
within a community. I have often tried
to explain to my son how important it is to keep your word, to let your “yes,
be yes and your no, no” (Matthew 5:37, James 5:12). Our reputations are all we really have, the
world at any moment can come in and steal and destroy everything we have within
our possession. The world can even take
our life, but what is left after everything is gone is our reputation. What
would the people that know you, remember of you, when the Lord calls you to
give account.
Before you answer the question if you are a
child of God, that you have made Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life, you
have a name you bear that is not your own.
Much as my son bears my name where ever he goes, we bear the name of
Christ as believers in Jesus, but unlike my son who will one day own the name
Nixon for himself, we will never own the name of Christ. Though we call ourselves Christians the name
is the Lord’s. We are merely Ministers
of Reconciliation between a Holy God and sinful man (2 Corinthians 5:18), Ambassadors
of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) called to serve God and man with a love that is
selfless and sacrificial in nature, but we must never forget that Name has been
given to us for one reason to reach a lost and dying world in need of a Savior
and it will always belong to Him.
Exodus 20:7 says, "You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who
takes His name in vain.” Often we have
heard it preached or taught not to use God’s name as a curse word or in false
promises you never intend to keep. I
would submit to you that taking the Name of Christ, as a “Christian” and never
intending to live according to the Word of God is itself using the Name of the
Lord in vain. We bring an approach upon
the reputation of God when we refuse to live according to God’s Word in willful
disobedience. When we proclaim
Christianity as our faith before men and misquote Scripture or even leave it
out of the conversation because we dislike what the Lord has to say. I believe we misuse the Lord’s Name when we
remain quiet in the midst of the torrential sinful storms destroying our
culture as what once was hidden in the Dark is brought to light and celebrated,
“woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).
May
we have a reputation for standing for what was right. May people speak well of us when we are gone
not that we accepted the cultural trends of the moment, but that we were the
kind of people when all else was shifting sand we held our ground on the Rock
of Christ. That we cried out and reached
out to rescue broken hearts adrift in a sea of lonely despair and desperation. May we bring Honor to our King and God Jesus
Christ that we bear His Name well.
Blessings,
Pastor Eric
