10 Rules for a Better Life (#3)

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Exodus 20:7

Imagine you are holding an American flag. Yes, in the end it's just a piece of cloth, but it represents far more than that. It's a symbol, an emblem of your country. It stands for things like liberty, freedom, independence, and the sacrifice that makes these things possible.

There is a reason we have a certain code of conduct for our flag. We don't let the flag touch the ground, we fold it a special way, display it only in certain ways, we even have rules for "retiring" a flag. Some of the rules in the code may sound picky, but they are there to make sure we give the flag proper respect.

Now imagine you're holding that flag in front of a squad of Navy SEALs or Army Rangers or Marines or (insert your chosen section of the military here). How careful are you going to be with the flag now? With all those soldiers watching you, would you be so bold as to use the flag to blow your nose or wipe off your sweat?You never know these days, maybe you really would do those disrespectful things. But political correctness or not, each one of those soldiers would be tempted to shoot you on site (or at least give you a beating you'd never forget). When you disrespect the flag, you fail to recognize what it means to the country as well as the ones who fight to protect it.

In the same way, when you disrespect the name of God, you fail to recognize the power and holiness of the One who created the universe, including you. Not only is it just stupid to mock the God who has your life in His hands, but the name of God has incredible power and significance because of what it represents.

God's name, Yahweh, means "I am." While we humans have not always existed, God always was, is, and will always be God. And He has never been less than everything we need. Through God's very name He tells us that He is sufficient for us. God is . . . fill in the blank. He is our Creator, our Sustainer, our Savior, our Protector, the list could go on and on. But one of God's most important attributes is that He is holy.

God is set apart. He is not like humans. He is not common. Therefore, His name should not be used lightly. Just like there are rules for how we treat the flag, God has given us the third commandment to tell us how we should regard His name. If you say that you want to honor God, make sure your give His name the proper respect: Don't use it unless you've really thought about who you are talking about.