Take His Name - by Abby Kelly

“Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Isaiah 43:6b-7

Never, ever say, “Oh my #$%!”. Did you hear that growing up? I did.

The Bible says, “Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” And truly, I believe that it is wrong to use the name of God or Jesus as a curse word. But did you know that in the original Hebrew, the way God said it, it meant so much more?

The word take in the Exodus 20:7, actually means, “to carry or to bear”. Think about when a couple gets married; usually the woman takes the man’s last name. She bears it, carries it, it becomes her name and she becomes a representative of his family.

In John 17:11-12, Isaiah 43:7, 2 Chronicles 7:14 and other places, the Bible tells us that we have been given God’s name, that He calls us by His name. When we believe, we come into God’s family and bear His name. So how do we take—bear or carry—God’s name in vain?

Vain simply means, “empty, false or worthless”. We take God’s name in vain, when as His name-bearers, we call ourselves worthless and false things, or when we act worthlessly. Such words are not true and such behavior is not fitting of someone who carries Jesus’ name.

Pay attention to how you act, the things you say about yourself and what you think about yourself. You are God’s name-bearer.

Abby Kelly is the author of the book, The Predatory Lies of Anorexia: A Survivor’s Story. Abby and husband live in Columbus, GA. Contact