The Third Commandment

The Third Commandment

“Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

God’s name is special because it carries his personal identity. Using it frivolously or in a curse is so common today that we may fail to realize how serious it is. The way we use God’s name conveys how we really feel about him. We should respect his name and use it appropriately, speaking it in praise or worship rather than in curse or jest. We should not take lightly the abuse or dishonor of his name.

Do we use God’s name in the proper context outside of worship, teaching or evangelism. God’s name should not be separated from His person in everyday language.

How do we misuse the Lord’s name (= character or authority) in deed and word? But this commandment does give us the power to “drop the name” of the person in charge of the world as our lover and friend. This also gives us the responsibility of helping others see God in us. When people look at us, the need to see what God has accomplished in us.

One secret of effective witnessing is to recognize opportunities to relate God to the other person’s experience. When the opportunity arises, we must have the courage to speech out..

God calls Himself, I Am, a name describing his eternal power and unchangeable character. In a world where values, morals, and laws change constantly, we can find stability and security in our unchanging God. He can guide us in living our lives if He is in control. Because God’s nature is stable and trustworthy, we are free to follow and enjoy him rather than spend our time trying to figure Him out..

How strong is God? It’s easy to trust God when we look for His many mighty acts (e.g. hurricanes/avoiding them), but after a while, in the routine of daily life, His strength may appear to diminish. God doesn’t change, but our view of Him does. The monotony of our dayby-day living lulls us into forgetting how powerful God can be. God’s strength is always available if He is in-charge and we are following His plan.

His name reveals several characteristics of God:

1. God is immensely patient;

2. God’s love is one promise we can always count on;

3. God forgives again and again if asked;

4. God is merciful, listening to and answering our requests

We needs not fear evil/death because we know God shares His love with us , judges evil and will care for us throughout eternity.