Here in Japan, one phrase that many Japanese seem to know, even the high school students who barely speak a word of English, is “Oh my God.”
They almost never say it in the right context or with the right intonation, however, and as a result, they almost never sound natural trying to say it.
But the thing that bothers me the most about it, is that they’re simply imitating a cultural practice that is dishonoring to God.
They’re not praying to God. They’re not talking about him in an honoring way.
They’re simply using his name with no thought as to what they’re saying.
But it’s not only Japanese people who do this, most native English speakers do this as well.
God is a lot more merciful than I am, but if I were God, and I were dealing with those kinds of people, when they actually did call me for help, I’d probably ignore them for a while before finally turning and saying, “Oh, were you really talking to me this time? I couldn’t tell.”
When God said, “You shall not misuse my name,” he was basically saying, “I am a God who is to be honored. I am a God who is to be respected.”
But how often do you see people use the name of God and Jesus Christ, not in a respectful way, but as a curse word?
Or they use it just as a way to express their surprise or shock?
That’s not how we are to treat the name of the God who created us. That is not how we are to treat the name of the Savior who redeemed us.
But there are other ways to misuse the name of God as well.
One way to misuse God’s name is to condemn people groundlessly using the name of God.
I mentioned a couple of blogs ago that there are those who say, “If you have enough faith, you can ask God for anything, and he has to give it to you.”
But when they face a person, for example, who has prayed for healing, and that person is not healed, they say “Well, you must not have enough faith in God. If you did, God would heal you.”
Job’s friends did something similar. When Job was suffering terrible tragedy in his life, they told him, “God must be punishing you for some sin in your life.”
God will not hold guiltless for those who groundlessly condemn others using his name.
Another way to misuse God’s name is to try to manipulate people.
I recall a popular TV preacher in the States once saying, “God told me that unless we raise 8 million dollars by March, he’ll call me home.”
God’s name certainly wasn’t honored by any of the non-Christians who heard that.
Or a husband who demands his wife submits to him because “God said you have to do so.”
It’s true that God calls wives to submit to the leadership of their husbands.
But God’s name is not to be used to browbeat people into doing what you want.
One last way to misuse God’s name is to use it in order to do your will.
A woman recently asked me about what I thought about all the wars in history involving Christianity.
My reply was that some people were probably truly well-intentioned, but also truly wrong.
Others, though, were simply using God’s name to follow their own agenda. And God will hold them accountable for that.
I heard the story of a minister that at the beginning of his ministry tried very hard to imitate the other ministers around him, but he wasn’t finding any success.
Finally, he cried out, “God what are you doing wrong?”
And God answered, “It’s not me, it’s you.”
The minister said, “But God, I thought I was doing your will.”
But God replied, “No, you’re not doing my will. You’re doing your own will in my name.”
Was he misusing the name of God? Probably not. I believe he was honestly trying to seek God’s will. He simply was mistaken about how he was to do it.
But how many other people use God’s name to try to accomplish their own will, and in so doing, bring discredit to his name.
How about you? Do you honor the name of God in your life? Is he to you, a God who is to be honored?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 