I drove 3 hours for Bill Cosby
...hear me out...
I drove 3 hours to see Bill Cosby.
That sounds very different in 2024 vs 1994.
It’s true, Abi and I took our 6-month-old daughter across Michigan to the Tulip Festival. The main attraction for us was tickets to hear Bill Cosby do stand-up comedy.
Abi was always a huge Bill Cosby fan. I grew up listening to his stand-up comedy on cassette tapes in the family car and enjoying the sitcom too.
Nowadays, it’s odd to tell people that we drove across the state to hear Bill Cosby perform. I wince when I mention Cosby and qualify my story, “This was before all the horrible things…”
Cosby was once “America’s dad” and now his legacy is stained.
A name and a reputation are incredibly valuable.
Somewhere along the way, Christians have started treating God like Bill Cosby. We wince when we mention Him, unsure how others will respond. We qualify our statements about God and hope for as little social stigma as possible.
Why are we letting embarrassment keep God’s name off our lips? Why do we hesitate to mention Him? What lies are we believing about His reputation?
Jesus knew the Father and He said, “Hallowed be your Name.”
Jesus gladly prayed and celebrated that God’s Name is most important and His reputation is One of a Kind!
Who else always speaks the Truth?
Who else always does what is right?
Who else upholds Justice?
Who else never tires in caring for the weakest?
Who else is as compassionate and patient?
The Lord is unlike any other! We should remember His reputation, rejoice in His character, and reflect His glory in our praise!
Isn’t it utterly insane that we Christians often walk around bashful about knowing Someone this amazing!? Who stained God’s reputation for us?
I’m concerned that our praise is dampened because we’ve listened to what mankind says about God louder than God Himself. The storyline has been twisted, now we’re not sure we want to give a toast!
We need to praise and celebrate the Name of God openly!
The Scripture sets God apart as “holy” often by celebrating His power or His purity!
God is the One and Only Source of all strength. God is the only One who does not derive His strength from another or depend on anyone or anything! God’s arm is never too short.
God is the One and Only Pure Being who is undivided, undiluted, and uncorrupted! He is not dependent on anything else–He’s never taken on a bribe. He’s never been in a dilemma where He couldn’t do what was right because of constraining forces. He has always and only done what is good and loving. He has never muddied Himself or soiled His character!
Christian, the privilege of praise is yours and you need to return to gladly celebrating the Name of God.
Don’t let the world’s fake news about God be the only story running–let’s tell people what He’s like because we are true fans.
We need to return to the priority of the Scripture and the priority of God– that God’s Name, His reputation, and God, Himself, be known and celebrated as He truly is!
Today, you can embrace “Hallowed be Your Name” in prayers of praise. You can also tell people you know and post to people who follow sharing God’s good reputation. We might naturally celebrate a friend, a spouse, a coworker, or an athlete in our conversation posting… Let’s get back to regularly celebrating God to everyone we know!
We need to set God apart–lift Him up, not qualify and curate who He is! God needs no filter or asterisk. God deserves a toast in every room you’ve ever been in. Every word from our mouths should be a speech in God’s honor!
May His Name and His glory always be on our lips!