Got a couple things on my mind today. First, the holiness of God. I’m reading on book on this topic. You know, God made it really clear how He expected His people to live. Be holy. Of course, God knew this would be really hard because the world is a sinful place. So God spelled out exactly what He expected. Now, God didn’t require holiness just for the fun of it. God requires holiness in people because He made man in His image, and God is holy. Since we are made in His image, we are to be like Him. God is holy. Therefore, man, is to be holy. Holy. Be holy. That is God’s standard. Holiness.
The other thing on my mind is the 10 commandments because I’m reading Deuteronomy. One of the commandments is this: “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” (Deuteronomy 5:11). When I was growing up, saying the phrase, “Oh my God” in our house guaranteed getting your mouth washed out with soap. Never was that heard in our house. Saying “Oh my God” may not seem like that big of a deal to you. Maybe you think it’s just a casual, meaningless phrase. It is NOT a casual, meaningless phrase to God. Here are a few things I ask you to think about, all of you who, without thinking, take the Lord’s name in vain repeatedly throughout the day. The Lord God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He made everything you see, touch, taste, and hear. Everything. What you see in His creation is a display of power we can’t begin to appreciate. Second, the Lord is the source of all things. Without Him, you have nothing. No food. No water, no shelter, no family, nothing. Because God is the source of life, without Him, You would have no life. Without God keeping the universe going, you would not live. Third, the Bible is God’s Word. Did you ever stop to think that God did NOT have to give us any inkling of who He is or what He’s like or how we are to live? God didn’t have to do that. But in His kindness and graciousness, He gave us His Word. He tells us about Himself so that we can know Him and learn about Him. We can see who He is. What a gift to us! So, since God—the Creator of all and source of life—bothered to communicate to us, it’s logical that we should read what He has to say and LISTEN to what He has to say, right? Listen means to obey, to do as God tells us to do. It’s not complicated.
All of this may seem silly to you. Who really cares if you say “Oh my God?” Maybe you didn’t catch the second part of that verse. “The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.” It’s a warning. It means God holds you responsible for speaking His name in any manner that does not reflect reverence and awe. It means you’re guilty before holy God for this kind of disrespectful language. Why am I so hung up on this today? Because I hear it all the time, and it makes me sick. Disrespecting the Lord is not okay. It is not acceptable.
You know, holiness is hard. Actually, for people, it’s impossible. And God knows that. And that’s why Jesus came. To make it possible for man to be rescued from guilt for his sin. It is impossible to rescue ourselves from sin. We can only cry out to Jesus for grace and mercy, begging that our sins be forgiven so that we might be declared holy before God. May today be the day you cry out for mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Let me know if I can pray with you.
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