Is God’s Holy Reputation safe, in your hands?

The Israelites had really messed it up! They had compromised in every area of their lives –

Worse still, they had forgotten that God had redeemed them from slavery in Egypt and that they were in a Covenant relationship with God – they were His people and He was their God – God’s children, set apart to be a Holy Nation, called to be a light to the surrounding nations!

They had forgottten that they went by His Name (Jos.2:9-11) – His Holy Name! The nations looked at their success/failure as the success/failure of Yahweh. When God’s people did well, God’s Name was praised and honoured but when God’s people suffered because of their sin and rebellion, God’s Name was mocked and looked down upon!

Their lives, whether they liked it or not carried the reputation of God’s Name! They had lived in persistent rebellion and so God had to punish/discipline them by sending them to Assyria and Babylon but even there… they were still under His banner – His Holy Name!

Through prophet Ezekiel, God points this out – “Wherever they went, they gave me a bad name. People said, ‘these are God’s people, but they got kicked off his land.’ I suffered much pain over my holy reputation, which the people of Israel blackened in every country they entered.” (Eze. 36:20-21 MSG)

As followers of Christ Jesus, the world knows us as ‘Christians’ – ‘Christ – ians.’ We too carry His Holy Name as a banner over us – whatever we say or do, or however we live increases or blackens His Reputation. We have been bought with a price – Jesus’ precious blood – we entered into a New Covenant with God, our Creator, the day we said ‘yes’ to Jesus! We live under the banner of His Name constantly – the constant question is – ‘As a follower of Jesus, is God’s Holy Reputation safe, in my hands?’