"Name dropping"
The people say, "Our wickedness has caught up with us, Lord, but help us for the sake of your own reputation.
We have turned away from you and sinned against you again and again. (Jeremiah 14:7 NLT)
Michael Phelps. What comes to your mind when you hear his name? How about Michael Jordan? Saddam Hussein?
Our name is not only what we are known by but what we are known for. Phelps is known for swimming & being the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Jordan is the great basketball player of all time. Hussein is one of the worst dictators of all time. We recall who they are & what they did, good or bad, simply by hearing their names.
This is the power of a name.
Jeremiah is appealing for God's help based on his name, his reputation to the world. He cries out to God for help because God's name is at stake. When people think about the name of God & the people who are called by that name, they think about something. Good or bad. And for the people of Israel, it was all bad.
They were called by the name of God & yet acted as if they weren't God's people. As a result, God's name & reputation were ruined because of the lives of his people. It's not that he ceased to be the great God he was, but God's people reflected poorly on him. So Jeremiah's appeal for healing went beyond the people's need to a more primary reason. The name of God.
When we live lives contrary to who God is we drag his reputation through the mud. And nothing could be more tragic in the life of a Christian than if he were to be the source of bringing dishonor to God's name. I pray that God would kill me before I would do something that would dishonor his name.
This is what our focus must be. Not only on the help we need from God, but also the great need we have to uphold his name. More people are turned away from Christ & the gospel by people called by the name of God than any other group in the world.
What do people think about when they hear God's name? What comes to their mind when they hear our churches' name? What about when they hear our name?
Do we hurt the reputation of God or give him praise? Do we take away from him or bring others to him? We must take this to heart, his reputation is at stake.
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