Matthew 6:9 “Our Father in heaven,may your name be kept holy.”

Growing up I remember that one of the worst things you could possibly do, the quickest way into a fight, was to talk about somebody’s mother. Any subject was open to debate but to speak against somebody’s mom was sacrilegious. It is interesting that 2000 years ago, another son talked about the sanctity of his Father’s name with the same intensity and faithful devotion. When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray, that prayer began with an acknowledgement that God’s name is holy and should be kept that way. The word holy, defined by Webster’s dictionary, means: “exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness”. While God cannot be summed up by mere words, no word in our language can come closer to achieving the singular uniqueness of our Heavenly Father. His name is matchless. There is nothing in all of creation with which he could be compared. Because of this, his name, Yahweh, should be held with the utmost regard and respect. Too often today it is used carelessly both as an expletive and a curse, even by believers. This should never be. For all he is, for all he has done, keep his name holy.

Pray: “Dear Lord, my heart aches to hear how your name is used, tossed about unthinkingly in our society. Help me I pray, first to never be a part of demeaning or degrading your most holy name. Second, give me the courage to stand up for you when others do. Let me show by my actions that you are worthy, in Jesus’ holy name I pray – Amen.”