Sunrise sunset

Psalm 113:3 AMPC From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from east to west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

God's name is used in so  many different ways in our world. There is even a shortened version used in messages "OMG" - which I have a personal revulsion to.

Doesn't it seem strange that atheists and agnostics use the name of God in casual or angry exchanges?

You never hear someone say "Oh for Buddha's sake", but they will invoke the name of Christ or Jesus.

Ask yourself "why"?

I believe it is a spiritual issue. Firstly, to use God's name casually is to break one of the commandments:

Exodus 20:7 You are not to use My name for your own idle purposes, for the Eternal will punish anyone who treats His name as anything less than sacred.

Secondly, the name of Jesus has immense power - used in faith, it makes satan recoil in horror! He gets immense gratification from denigrating Jesus.

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. James 2:19

My dear mum always taught us to revere and honour God's name and never use it in a idle way. How glad I am for such a wise upbringing.

There is another, almost more transcendent reason - love!

No one likes the name of someone they love dragged through the mud, do they? If someone insults your parents or your partner or your friends - it's offensive to you.

After falling in love with Jesus personally, it is my greatest delight to praise His name and a knife to my heart if He is used as a curse word.

I'm not there yet, but I would love to have the atmosphere of Heaven constantly in my heart, which is to praise the name of the Lord from sunrise to sunset, not necessarily with my voice, but with my attitude and actions.

Join in with me and let this Psalm 113 echo in your heart this new morning.