My Name Is: Week 1 - Tuesday

He has paid a full ransom for His people. He has guaranteed His covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name He has! Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey His commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! Psalm 111:9-10

The holidays are quickly approaching. Thanksgiving will soon be here and, before we know it, the Christmas season will be in full swing. Some of you are thrilled about this news while others of you are panicked, thinking of everything that must be done before the holidays arrive. I'm willing to bet that those of you who are joyfully anticipating the holidays have special china for the holidays that you have been saving all year to use. You probably have set that china apart from your regular dishware so that it is extra-special when it is used and that it is not broken throughout the year. If we take such measures to set apart our china, how much more should we take special measures to set apart the name of God?

God introduces His personal name for Himself, Yahweh, or "I AM," for the first time in Exodus 3. Reflecting on God's personal name, the writer of Psalm 111:9 reminds us that God's name is holy. To be holy means to be set apart and different than anything else, like we set apart china for the holidays, but on a much, much grander scale. Understanding that God's name is holy will cause us to want to protect it and not use it flippantly. It will also instill in us a desire to honor and take care of it because it is sacred and set apart.

God's holiness is also a call for us to live holy lives as well. Throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, followers of God are given this instruction: "be holy because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). This is a call to live lives that are set apart, in honor of God's holy name. It means that God's holiness causes us to live differently than the rest of the world by the words we say and the way we act.

When you look at your life, are you honoring God's holy name through your speech and actions? Are you living a life that is set apart from the rest of the world? Commit today to protect, honor, and take care of the holy name of God and live a life that is also holy.

Moving Toward Action

How can you honor God's holy name today? Maybe you can honor Him by spending an extended amount of time with Him reading Scripture or in prayer. Perhaps you can bring honor to the name of God by telling someone about Him through the bridge diagram or your two-minute story. Maybe you can honor His name by volunteering at church. Whatever it is, commit to honoring God's holy name and living a holy lifestyle today.

Going Deeper

Read Psalm 111:1-10 (NLT)