What's in a Name?

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain,

for the Lord will not hold him guiltless

that taketh His name in vain.

Exodus 20:7

When I asked the children last Sunday about this commandment, there were hands waving all over the room – all of them wanting to be the first to say: “ Don’t use God’s name as a swear word!” or some variation of that idea.  They all grinned conspiratorially, so glad that they all had the right answer.  I hated to break up the party, but I couldn’t help asking, “Are you sure that’s all there is to it?”  I suggested we sing a song to explore the idea further.

I am a C

I am a C  H

I am a C H R I S T I A N

And I have C H R I S T in my H E A R T

And I will L I V E   E T E R N A L L Y.

After we finished the song, I looked around the classroom.  Some eyes looked back hopefully, other eyes were suddenly fascinated by the carpet, and one set of eyes studied me thoughtfully.  Then the light came on, his hand shot up, and the freckle-face boy with the now sparkling eyes said, “Don’t say you’re a Christian and then live for the Devil.”  Ah… I couldn’t have said it better myself.

I will honor Jesus’ name and live my life for Him.

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do,

That’s what God wants me to do

And I am His child.

[Sung to the tune Bingo]

Prayer Needs for Today

For Al, who is still recovering from quadruple bypass

For those still struggling with storm damage