01/24/25 In Vain

READING:

One-year plan: Exodus 19-22

Two-year plan: Nehemiah 3:20-5:19, Acts 13:13-27

———-

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 part 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. 

PERSONAL REFLECTION: Do you ever take the Lord’s name in vain?             

DAILY PRAYER: “God, let my life and my words honor You.”  

MONDAY’S READINGS:

One-year plan: Exodus 23-26

Two-year plan: Nehemiah 6:1-7:20, Acts 13:28-41

MEMORIZATION VERSE (JAN 16-31):

 “A person’s steps are established by the Lord, and he takes pleasure in his way.” (Psa 37:23)

*first published in 2021

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