Ten Commandments
3. God's Name

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)}

In general names and titles are no longer held in high regard. We have a general disrespect for authority: teachers, police officers, politicians and the royal family no longer command respect. In some cases it is because the people in authority have not earned that respect, they have fallen short of the expectations we have of people in those roles. But, the majority of people in authority deserve respect as they sincerely go about their life. We seem to try and find the "bad" in everyone, we want people to fail, we want people to blame. This malaise has spread such that we no longer use God's name respectfully. Language has evolved such that disrespectful phrases once considered unacceptable are in widespread use in the school playground, on television, in popular music etc.

We also have a culture that resorts to the legal system to protect a name. So many stars live their private life in the public eye and are subjected to all kinds of media attention - this often leads to court cases as the media are accused of libel or slander. In business brand names and the image that they conjure up is all important - if someone uses those names inappropriately then business is quick to act to protect the name.

Yet we have allowed the use of God's name to be brought into disrepute, we have become immune to it. We just accept it as a sign of the times, rarely do we hear of people defending God's name.

The Israelite's so revered God's revealed name Yahweh that they avoided using it for fear that they might use it disrespectfully, or that it might be violated by accident or worse still an act of vandalism. As we read the scriptures we are given many different names that describe God, His Son and Holy Spirit, in every case we are led to an all powerful living God.

The Psalms call us to praise God because of His power in creation and redemption. Eg.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness. _{(Psalm 29:2)}

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord _{(Psalm 150:6)}

We must take care not to misuse God's name by misrepresenting the scriptures to justify what we are doing. Also, we must ensure that we not only speak God's word but act it out in our lives, otherwise we demonstrate disrespect.

Perhaps we are able to say we do not profane God's name, but do we go further? Do we stand up for God's name when we hear others misuse it? We should be offended when we see or hear God's name misused in the media - we should make a stand and call for God's name to be respected and glorified. I believe if we are proud to profess God's name positively in public then it will help us to demonstrate how God should be treated, but also it will help us to respect one another and those in authority.

Think, Speak, Act!

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it might benefit those who listen. _{(Ephesians 2:29)}