8月16日

標　　題：願人都尊你的名為聖

經　　節：願人都尊你的名為聖。（馬太福音六章9節下）

基督徒的呼召是將榮耀歸給神的名。妄稱神的名，會使人誤解神的本性（出埃及記二十：7）。身為基督徒，我們背負救主的名。我們生活的方式及與人相交，直接表達出基督的名。

「奉耶穌的名」行事，是去做一些與基督本性相合的事（約翰福音十五：16）。這個意思是指，耶穌會樂意添加我們手上所做的事。然而，如果我們的行為減損了神的名譽，祂會小心守護祂的名聲。我們有時候太關心保護人的名譽，卻較少關心保護神的名譽。當以色列人的生活方式，在各國面前褻瀆神的名時，神使自己的名「為聖」：祂為了自己的聖名懲罰他們（以西結書卅六：22）。當大衛在祂的百姓面前犯罪時，神在公眾面前懲罰他，好維護自己的聖名。

我們也可能在自己孩子面前玷污天父的名，以至於他們無法將慈愛的神，視為自己的天父。我們也可能是不願饒恕人的基督徒，以至於我們的罪阻礙了人們尋求神的赦免。我們敬拜時對神不敬虔的態度，可能影響了旁觀者，使他們失去對神崇敬的態度。

我們最大的渴望，應該是以自己的生活來尊崇神的名。

誠如耶穌的教導，我們應當要每日祈禱，願人都尊神的名為聖。

Hallowed Be Your Name

"Hallowed be Your name." (Matthew 6:9b)

Our calling as Christians is to bring glory to the name of God. God’s name represents His character. Taking the name of God in vain misrepresents God’s character to others (Exod. 20:7). As Christians, we carry the name of our Savior. The way we live and relate to others is a direct reflection on the name of Christ. Doing something “in Jesus’ name” is to do something that is in accordance with His character (John 15:16). It means that Jesus would be pleased to join us in what we are doing. If, however, our actions detract from God’s reputation, He will jealously guard His name. Sometimes we are too concerned with protecting the reputation of people but too little concerned with protecting the holy name of God. When the Israelites profaned God’s name before the nations by the way they lived, God “hallowed” His name: He made His name holy by punishing them (Ezek. 36:22). When David sinned before his nation, God publicly disciplined him in order to protect the holiness of His name.

We can so tarnish the name father before our children that it hinders them from loving God as their heavenly Father. We can be such unforgiving Christians that our sinfulness discourages people from seeking forgiveness from our God. We can show such disrespect for God as we worship Him that those observing lose their reverence of Him as well.

Our supreme desire should be to glorify the name of God by the way we live. We ought to pray daily, as Jesus taught us to, that God’s name be treated as holy.