Encouragement
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord God in vain. Ex. 20:7
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The third commandment found in Ex. 20, verse 7 is, 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. Let us quickly think about the meaning of some of these words. The word take means to carry or to lift up. The word name carries the meaning of reputation. Vain means emptiness or falsehood. Guiltless means free from guilt. So we have a reading like this. Thou shalt not carry or lift up the reputation of the Lord in emptiness or falsehood, for he will not be free from guilt.
If I claim to be a Christian and am mean to my wife, my Christianity is empty and I have done wrong to the reputation of that profession. If I claim to be a Christian and do not report all my taxable cash income, I have carried his name of vain. In so many areas, Christian people name the name of Christ and misrepresent Him.
Is there anything in your life that misrepresents Jesus. Is there something in your life that does not line up with your profession? Are you willing to change for Jesus? I encourage us to live so everyone will be able to see Jesus in the way we live. I encourage us to carry His name in its fullness so the Lord's reputation will be honored.
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