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Making the right choices - Ten Words
Word # 3: A Good Name!
“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)
It’s not about you. It’s all about God and especially His name, His reputation, and His honour. The literal translation of this third Word is, “Do not carry the name of the Lord your God in a worthless way.”
When we call ourselves Christians, we are carrying the name of Christ (and God) into everyday life. Are our choices uplifting God’s name, His reputation? Are the choices we make honouring God and who He is? When people look at the way we live and the decisions we make, can they relate this to the God we serve?
We violate this Word when we lie, steal, and cheat. When we consider money more important than people, whom God has created, we violate this Word.
“What’s in a name?”, wrote William Shakespeare. A name is so much more than words to recognize a person. Our name marks us and identifies us.
Over time, as people get to know us, our name embodies who we are. God has many names. One of my favourite names for God is “Jehovah Jireh”, meaning ‘The God Who Provides.’ When making our choices, we can count on the name of the Lord, Jehovah Jireh, to provide all we need to do everything He is asking us to do. In fact, if I know that God wants me to do something and I say, “I cannot afford it,” then I am taking His name in vain. He promised to provide, so we can cry out with Paul, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus!” (Philippians 4:19) God always pays for what He orders!
Whatever the circumstance we may find ourselves in, we can trust in the name of the Lord who is called “El-Sahaddai”—the Almighty! He is in control of all circumstances and does not allow anything to happen to His children without His permission. In tough times, Jesus is with us and suffering alongside those who suffer. He lifts up and takes down; He gives and takes away.
He is the Sovereign Lord. Even in troubling times, our priority must be to hold high His honour, reputation, His dignity and name.
About this Plan
One of the most famous sections in the Bible can be found in Exodus 20, often called the Ten Commandments. The Bible does not call them ’the Ten Commandments,’ but ‘The Ten Words.’ These ‘Ten Words’ or instructions God gave form the basis for making right choices, the foundation on which to make good practical, moral, and ethical decisions, personally and for your family, business and society.
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