NOTHING VAIN

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain." Exodus 20:7 (ESV)

The LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses and proclaimed His name, the LORD, and He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished … ” Exodus 34:5-7 (ESV)

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM.” And I AM said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”  God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land … flowing with milk and honey.”’ Exodus 3:13-17 (ESV)

"God has highly exalted Jesus and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  Philippians 2:9-11 (ESV)

"Disturb us, O LORD, when we are too well-pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, O LORD, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the water of life, when, having fallen in love with time, we have ceased to dream of eternity and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim. Stir us, O LORD, to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas where storms show Thy mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. In the name of Him (our LORD Jesus Christ) who pushed back the horizons of our hopes and invites the brave to follow. Amen."

 

Bishop Desmond Tutu

 

“You’re spiritual? Cool. Who are you spiritual with? … I never deny that people’s experience of spirituality isn’t real. I never argue it’s fake or they have an overactive imagination. Instead, I talk about … how Jesus is the embodiment of the one true Creator God who made each and every one of us."

 

John Mark Comer