READING: Exodus 19:1-22:15, Matthew 21:12-46
I still remember the first time I heard about “taking the Lord’s name in vain.” I was a young teenage believer, and I frankly was still caught in the web of cussing as a natural component of my language. It was a Sunday school teacher who gently scolded me, noting that I was breaking the third commandment by my speech. My Sunday school teacher was right to point out my wrong, especially when I inadvertently said “God” or “Jesus” irreverently—but it was years before I understood that the third commandment means much more than that.
One’s name in the ancient world was not separated from one’s being and character. That is, in the case of the third commandment, it is impossible to separate God’s name from His character. We cannot with integrity call ourselves “Christian” yet live as if we weren’t one; to claim to be godly when living like the devil is to “misuse the name of the Lord your God” (Exo 20:7). At the same time, nor can we falsely claim to speak for God or wrongly claim His support for our personal agendas without also misusing His name. Hypocrisy is, at its core, taking the Lord’s name in vain.
Today, I pray everything I do, every word I speak, every thought I have, and every response I make brings honor to Christ. It is at His name we all will eventually bow (Phil 2:10-11).
PRAYER: “Lord, I pray I will honor Your name without exception today.”
DAILY ACTION STEP: As you make choices and decisions today, ask yourself, “Will this choice honor the Lord’s name?”
TOMORROW’S READING: Exodus 22:16-24:18, Matthew 22:1-22