7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
Everything has a proper place in God’s Universe. That includes His name. When I was a kid I was often called by my last name by teachers. You might say that was a good thing. The teachers were just being respectful. But every other kid was called by their first name. I have one of those names that can serve as either a first name or a last name, so teachers often got it wrong. This used to bug me. It still does when I get those phone calls or letters in the mail with my names inverted. I want people to call me by MY name. I want them to know ME. My name had its proper place. God’s name has its proper place. His name is not to be used as a punctuation mark during an angry outburst. His name is not to be tossed out as a magic word when someone is desperate for a particular answer. It is not to be used apart from a living and vital relationship with Him. If we claim to know Him then we will not misuse His name. So how do we misuse His name? The first way is when we empty it of its power. We do this by treating it with less respect than it deserves. When we speak of the Lord our attitude needs to be one of honor and humility. He is the All-powerful Creator of the Universe. He deserves our respect. The next way we can misuse His name is to make it worthless by using it in contexts that are inappropriate. This would include profanity but is not limited to profanity. I see this when some folks pray and every other word is “Lord” or “Jesus.” His name is inserted instead of silence or a comma. We know whom we are addressing, and He knows we are talking to Him, so why do we insist on saying His name so often? We don’t repeat a friend’s name that often when we are in normal conversation, so why do we do it when we are praying? When we use His name we are acknowledging His presence in our midst, His power in our circumstance and His wisdom in accomplishing His will. We also misuse His name when we claim to be His and yet live contrary to His ownership. If we claim Him, then our lives need to reflect His character. We need to live up to the godly life He has called us to live. Honor His name today. Be obedient to His Word.
The Arnold Journey 