You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Exodus 20:7
Think of the things you set aside in your life. Maybe the first half hour of every morning for devotions. Maybe Saturday mornings for housecleaning and laundry. Maybe it’s a percentage of your income for the Lord. Whenever we set aside time, talent, or treasure in life, we are hallowing it—the same way Jesus taught His disciples to hallow God’s Name when they prayed (Matthew 6:9).
“To hallow” means to make holy, and to make something holy means to set it apart. In the fourth of the Ten Commandments, Moses commanded the people to set aside the Sabbath day because “the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11). But how do we hallow God’s Name? Moses takes care of that that in the third commandment—by not misusing His Name (taking His Name in vain) (Exodus 20:7). So when we pray “hallowed be Your name,” we are acknowledging the sanctity of God Himself.
We can answer that prayer by honoring God and His Name throughout our day. Set God apart in your life today by honoring His holiness.
Because God is holy, He requires that we be holy. Jerry Bridges
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