We have had a great week. It finally rained, and as I write this on Monday, it is raining again. Plans are moving forward to get our house at Lake George moved to Ericson Lake. We are excited about the move.
As noted last week, my wonderful wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary Saturday. Our church family hosted a carry-in dinner and helped us observe the occasion Sunday after church services. We were surprised by two of our very best long-time friends walking in the door, after they had called earlier in the day and informed us they wouldn’t be able to attend. They have been forgiven for their deception.
I will be taking a few weeks off from my church duties for a long overdue vacation, but will try to keep everyone informed of our activities through this newsletter. As it is with most preachers, it is hard to quit cold turkey, so I’ll continue to share God’s word in this way.
This week, we looked at the third of the Ten Commandments. “Your shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God…” (Deuteronomy 5:11). We saw there are three categories covered by this commandment:
1) Using God’s name flippantly. That is, using the Lord’s name as a curse, or any other unworthy manner. This would include those “nice” ways we use his name, such as saying “gosh”, or using the media shorthand “OMG.”
2) Using God’s name untruthfully. This would be attaching His name to something that goes against His word. Examples would be Christians who try to justify slavery, abortion, or same-sex marriage by twisting scripture to their advantage.
3) Using God’s name hypocritically. This is when our public witness doesn’t line up with the name Christian. As people who bear Christ’s name, we are to reflect his character in our daily living. If we do not, we are misusing His name.
In our word and works we are to live so the world can see Jesus, the One who is the true image of God. To do anything less is to “take the Lord’s name in vain.”
Just thinking,
Pastor Jerry
sandhillspastor 