We have all seen the bumper stickers
and car tags that proudly proclaim, God is my co-pilot, as well as
the calendars in some business establishments that declare that
God is their silent partner. Those who display such things
generally feel that they are proclaiming their service to
the Lord and are doing Him a favor by mentioning their devotion
and giving Him a place of honor, as dubious as it is, by including
a mention of Him. I don't know a lot of things,
but I'm quite sure that the scripture never indicates that the maker
of heaven and earth, the sovereign ruler of all universes, the absolute
predestinator of all events, would somehow be honored to share
any such billing, regardless of the sincerity of those who
might set it forth. When the Lord first appeared
to Moses in the burning bush, he told Moses to remove his shoes
because he was standing on holy ground. The ground was not holy
because it held some religious significance, but rather that
to be in the presence of a holy God rendered it so. Moses had
no right or business to come into that place except that he
was given that privilege due to nothing but the sovereign
will and purpose of him who is a consuming fire. The very first
one of the commandments which he gave to Moses is, Thou shalt
have no other gods before me. This is the beginning of a declaration
of who he is. Some have evidently assumed that
he was saying, you can have other gods, but just always put me
first. In reality, he was saying, you
cannot have any others before my face or in my presence. The
third commandment is, thou shalt not take the name of the Lord
thy God in vain. To take the name of the Lord
in vain is to speak of Him in any frivolous manner or using
His name in some fashion to seek glory for oneself, even as those
who would include the mention of Him in some manner to draw
attention to themselves. His very name is jealous, and
He will not be spoken of in a lighthearted or offhanded fashion which is
without proper regard to the glory that surrounds Him. We
are saddened to hear many who call themselves His followers
using His name as an exclamation point or even as a means for
monetary gain. The God who inhabits this eternity
does not enter into partnerships with any, nor does He occupy
some secondary role or position. He is the Lord of all and demands
respect in the heavens, in the earth, and even in the regions
of hell. He cannot be co-opted for our
purpose, nor can he in any wise be found to be dependent on anything
which the creature can produce, whether it be supposed works
of righteousness or activities of free will. The only proper
place for a man who recognizes his lordship is in the dust of
adoring wonder and repentance. The psalmist declares his name,
saying, Holy and Reverend is his name. This can only have
reference to him who is worthy of all praise. It is blasphemous,
in my opinion, to use that name to refer to anyone else. His
name must not be taken in vain. I am not sure when the practice
of calling men by that name began, or the circumstances which surrounded
this egregious display of man's pride. It is baffling to me that
any man who has any regard whatsoever to the holy name of God would
allow such a label to be affixed to himself or for any who worship
at the footstool of the dread sovereign of the universe should
refer to any sinful son of Adam by such a title. The whole concept
of men taking titles to themselves in order to differentiate their
various gifts and calling from one another is born out of a
penchant to have preeminence. It matters not whether it be
reverend, elder, pastor, bishop, or whatever title one may choose.
The sons of God are servants one of another, each esteeming
the other better than themselves. Thus it is not proper to take
titles based upon various gifts and callings which the Lord is
pleased to bestow upon the saints for the benefit of the whole
body. For who maketh thee to differ from another? If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream.net.