Glory in His holy Name

Our memory verse this week (for the next two weeks, actually) is "Glory in His holy name, let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad." Two simple phrases. We could memorize them with little effort and move on, don't you think?

But let's not do that. Let's munch on these phrases a bit. "Glory in His holy name"...what in the world does that mean? As a verb, glory means "to take great pride or pleasure in", as well as a negative connotation "to exult in unpleasantly or boastfully." Obviously the second is not our instruction, but the first phrase is - we are to take great pleasure and pride in the Holy name of God. So how do we do that? When His name is mocked or used in vain, do we defend the Holy name of God? His name is not one that should cause us to be shamed or embarrassed, and yet when we hear His name misused, we blush at the thought of correcting the offender. It's such a habit to misuse His name...they're not really speaking of God...or Jesus...or are they?

But let's set aside the defense of His name and get more aggressive. Why would we take great pleasure in the Holy name of God? What has He done for you that when you hear His name your heart swells with joy? Are you longing for His return? Are you seeking the things above? Do you talk with others about the Lord? I believe that if we truly were to glory in His name, it would continually be on our lips, flowing from our hearts. Think about it, gals - who else in our lives is holy? Who else is completely true and faithful? Who can possibly compare with the Lord, His goodness, His love and His care? And yet we fill our days talking about politics and recipes and the latest gossip on the family across the street. What is wrong with us? We need to shift the focus of our hearts from this world and firmly fix them on the throne of God - or the foot of the cross. Both places will have the same effect...

"Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad" - our second phrase is another command. There is an assumption here that we are seeking the Lord. That's taking an active role in our spiritual growth. How do we seek the Lord? Where can He be found? And why would seeking Him make our heart glad?

I'll tell you what...I'm tired of answering my own questions...it's your turn...tell me, how do YOU practically glory in the Holy name of God? And tell me why seeking Him would make our hearts glad...