Don’t Misuse Me
"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
Hrmm...this will be an interesting post. What does God exactly mean by misuse? Or in the King James, "Take the name of the LORD in vain."
Traditionally we think of cursing as the object of this command. I was taught as a kid that it was bad to curse because it took God's name in vain. Now I don't believe that cursing is a great habit to have. Personally I find it disgusting and definitely un-Christian. I cannot see Jesus on this earth saying a curse word in every other sentence while speaking His sermon on the mount.
However, I was talking with Nathan Hellman (Hellman's Blog) the other day about this. And he brought up an interesting thought. When we claim to be a Christian we are essentially taking on the name of Christ. When we choose Christ and become Christians (or Christ Follower, pick your term) He writes His name on our hearts, or at least He should. The problem is that many "Christians" do not always live Christ like lives.
Nathan's thesis was that the simple fact of not living a Christlike or Christ centered life is misusing the name of God. We are supposed to be witnesses to Christ and people should see Him living in us. But when we live contrary to Christ's principles, people do not see a Christian, they see something else. They see someone who claims to be a Christian, yet does not live a "Christian life."
Think of being a United States citizen. When you travel to another country you have a United States of America passport. You are now a representative of the USA in whichever country you are visiting. This December my wife and I will be heading to Europe for three and a half weeks. While we are there we will be influencing how people view Americans. Will we misuse the name of United States citizen, or will we try and show people that not all Americans are ignorant tourists?
It is important for us as Christians to have a relationship with God that transforms our lives. We need the live transforming power of Christ in our lives to truly follow this command. As Christians or Christ followers, people need to see that we do not misuse God, or misrepresent Him.
I hope that each of us will strive to gain a relationship with Christ that will transform our lives so that we can stop misusing God.