A Twofold Challenge – The Third Commandment

A Twofold Challenge

Exodus 20:7

“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.”

So how shall we spend our time, we who have the Name of God upon us, and who have been chosen and redeemed for the purpose of seeking His Kingdom and increasing His praise?

A twofold challenge and calling is upon us, in accordance with what the third commandment requires. First, we must devote our best time and strength to preparing to serve the Lord, gaining the necessary resources of heart, mind, and conscience, acquiring and developing the skills for ministry, which we will need in order to take God’s Name gloriously into every area of our lives.

Here is a plea for a rich life of spiritual disciplines, seeking the Lord in His Word and prayer, waiting upon Him in meditation and through fasting, celebrating Him in worship and solitude until He equips us to live out the demands and privileges of His Name.  In the practice of spiritual disciplines we clothe ourselves with Jesus anew each day and are thus prepared to take His Name with glory into every area of life.

We are called to prepare to live with God’s Name upon us in every area of our lives, and the practice of spiritual disciplines–throughout the day–is where we go to make that preparation.

Are your daily preparations adequate to help you bear the Lord’s Name according to His purpose for you?  To whom are you accountable for the kind of preparations you pursue?

Lord, when I consider my practice of spiritual disciplines…

Daily meditation in the Law of God helps us along the path of holiness, righteousness, and goodness (Rom. 7:12). Order your copy of The Law of God, a compilation of the Mosaic Law for contemporary believers, by going to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.