“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7
This commandment forbids the irreverent or disrespectful use of God’s name. Whether we use his name casually as a swear word or speak of him in a way that does not acknowledge his greatness and goodness, we are not honoring and worshiping him the way he deserves to be. This reveals an attitude of the heart that is not seeing God and man rightly.
Questions
- How have you maligned the name of God with your speech or actions?
- How could you honor God and still love others well when you hear someone else use God’s name irreverently?
- What does it say about our hearts when we misuse God’s name?
- Names are important in the Bible. They often have significant meaning to God; he changes people’s names to better reflect their character. How does your usage of God’s name reflect his character?
Pray
Father, we want to honor you in all our speech and actions. Help us to be brave and bold when others speak disrespectfully about you. Give us loving words of truth to speak in those moments. Make us aware of what is in our hearts and on our tongues, and help us to be faithful to repent quickly when we are irreverent. Mold us into a people known for great respect of who you are and what you have done. Amen.
This devotion is adapted from the Ten Commandments Study Guide.
