“Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.” Matthew 6:9 HCSB
Because our Father sees in secret (verse 6) and knows what we need before we ask (verse 8) we should pray like this:
1. Our Father in Heaven,
If God is our father then we are his kids. If God is Jesus’ father then He is God’s son. If Jesus is God’s son and we are too we are coheirs with Jesus. If we are coheirs then we can have all the same rewards that Christ has.
How do we know we are God’s kids? It is not because we said a prayer when we were young, but by our willingness to obey the Bible. If we declare that Jesus is our savior we acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for our sins to be forgiven. If we acknowledge that Jesus is our Lord then we decare that We are dying to our fleshly nature to obey all that God commands us to do. There is an obedience that we must have to be called Children of God.
We can label our selves Christians all day but at the end of our life will God turn to us as say well done good and faithful servant.
“Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and stewards until the time set by his father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world. When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “ Abba, Father! ” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Galatians 4:1-7 HCSB
2. Your name be honored as holy.
The Jews to this day will not write out the name of God wholly but will leave out a few letters because they reserve His name to be holy. We tend to forget God is the final authority in this world and we should have a reverent fear of Him and His name.
“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.”
Exodus 20:7 HCSB
As children learn the 10 commandments we learned “do not misuse the name of the Lord you God” but we never hear “because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses His name.” We have an obligation to God to honor and respect Him and His name. The world wants to use God’s name as a curse word. But we should not. We have not been cursed by God but blessed. His name should be a blessing to us. We can declare the name of God to bring blessings to our life.
Another name that is holy is Jesus. His name is set apart from the rest as being above every other name.
“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:8-11 HCSB
In the name of Jesus, we are saved. Does the name of Jesus bring us to our knees in humble respect for what He has done for us?
The name of God and Jesus are lifted up as holy. Then there is The Holy Spirit. We don’t know His name. We only know His title. But His works are held in high regard by God.
“I assure you: People will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they may blaspheme. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” —”
Mark 3:28-29 HCSB
“Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
Luke 12:10 HCSB
If we speak the name of God or Jesus out of alignment we will be punished and forgiven, but to blaspheme the works of The Holy Spirit we will be punished and not forgiven. I do believe that this unforgiveness does not translate to unforgiveness in our salvation. Because all our sins are forgiven and covered by Jesus. Also if we are ignorant of the works of The Holy Spirit God will have grater mercy on us. But when we know that something is of The Holy Spirit and we claim it is the work of the devil or his spirits that is when we blaspheme The Holy Spirit.
Lord shut our mouths from using Your name in unholy ways and open our mouths to use Your name as a blessing to our lives and others as well. Open our eyes to see the work You are doing through Your Holy Spirit. Help us to see when He moves. Help us to honor Your name as holy. In Jesus' name. Amen!
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