Friday, November 15, 2013

Don't Take His Name Lightly

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Exodus 20:7

You should not take your commitment to the Lord nor the meaning of His name lightly… Today’s devotion reminds us of the seriousness with which we must approach our relationship with the Most High God… Notice that the second book of Moses tells us the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain… The word of God teaches us that we must not allow situations and/or circumstances to stop us from adhering to God’s commands… See often times we utter words which we do not necessarily mean and today’s message reminds us that we must guard our mouth and lips accordingly… We are called to fear the Lord; this means to revere, honor and admire Him… I state this calling to all children of God because there are so many of us that misuse the name of the Lord… We can find ourselves in a predicament and utter the words “Jesus Christ” or we can be struck by an unforeseen circumstance and curse by saying “God Da*n it…” These are just a few scenarios in which we can find ourselves improperly using God’s name or using it in vain… To us His name in vain is simply to use it out of the context in which it should be used… Calling on the name of the Lord should be in times of praise, in times of worship and in times of prayer… The enemy will certainly try and test you and we must understand that there are many levels in which he will test us and this is one of them… This verse recorded in the book of Exodus is a commandment given from the mouth of the Lord to Moses to be established as a law of governance over the children of God… We are to adhere to upholding the name of the Lord; if we know that God has kept us and is the only True and Wise God than we should show these thoughts in the way we conduct ourselves in this life and how we use His name… The Lord deserves your best; He deserves honor, praise and glory…. The book of Exodus reminds us that we are not to take the name of the Lord in vain, we must pay honor to His Holy name… These commandments were given to the children of Israel at time when they had been brought out of the bondage of Pharaoh… Whether we realize it or not, it is when things are going the best in our lives that we begin to take God for granted… It isn’t when the bills are stacked up on our coffee table that we take God for granted, it’s when we have all our bills paid…

 

The Israelites could taste their freedom, they could grasp their liberty and at that time Moses teaches them that they must not take the name of the Lord in vain… Remember when Moses comes off the mountain he finds them worshipping the golden calf… To take the name of the Lord in vain is to either forget about Him or use His name in a manner that is not spiritual nor glorifying Him… Another example of this is when someone simply has a conversation in which God’s name is used without any purpose or rightful association… God has been way to gracious to you and far too merciful to be subject to any condescending conversation or actions that bring dishonor to Him… Notice what this next part of verse 7 says… “…for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain…” When you misuse the name of the Lord you cannot be found guiltless, the error of your ways will not go unpunished and you will be held accountable… Just two verses prior to this verse God gives instruction about not worshipping other gods or idols… In this 5th verse He states that “God is a jealous God, punishing the children for their sin…” The Lord you serve is a jealous Lord, He wants you to praise Him, He wants you to honor Him and He wants you to be obedient to the will He has for your life… If you are willing to misuse His name, if you are willing to disobey His call then you are not truly walking in His divine light… Think about what would happen to you if you called your mother or father out of their names… Think about how you would be dealt with if you disrespected your parents through your living or with your tongue (a lot of us would be picking ourselves off the floor… The commandment says that we will be held accountable for taking God’s name in vain; no matter what you do or say, consequences will be paid when we use the name of the Lord in a dishonorable manner… Let us understand that the name of the Lord should not be taken in vain because He deserves better… He has seen us through countless storms and trials, He has lifted us up when no one else was around and has given us a second chance to inherit His Eternal promises… God is all powerful, He is alpha and omega, the beginning and the end; all power is found in the palm of His hand… The bible says that He make the sun shine on the just as well as the unjust… The sovereignty of God is why we fear Him and don’t use His name in vain, the fact that He formed us out of the dust of the ground is why we honor and adore His holy name… Out of reverence and respect, we don’t joke with the name of the Lord. We need to understand that God is superior and has all power in His hands. The commandments tell us not to use the name of the Lord in vain. God cannot be compared to anything, nor should His name be used if not exalting Him…

ALL FOR HIM!!!

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