OMG!

"I swear to God, if he doesn't pick up the phone the next time it rings..... "

Those were the words I heard as I was walking into Walmart today. It was said so vehemently I couldn't help but turn quickly and look at the person who spoke. Just a normal, angry guy sitting outside Walmart on a hot day, probably waiting for a ride. But really? You swear, to GOD, about some guy not answering the phone when you call? God Almighty? The One who created the universe you exist in? The One who allows every particle of oxygen to enter your lungs each time you breathe in, and holds your very tiny life in His massively huge hand?

Exodus 20:7 (New International Version) www.biblegateway.com

7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

What exactly is misusing God's name? I think there are times when it is very clear that God's name is being misused. Obviously any time His name is used with profanity, it is sin. But I also find other circumstances when it's unclear, and we should be helping our brothers and sisters in Christ to recognize that this is a big deal, and we should be setting a good example for the children in our lives by how we speak about our Lord.

"OMG": What does the acronym OMG mean to you? When you see it on an email, or on TV, or in a text... what goes through your head? Oh my Gd? Oh my goodness? Oh my gracious? I have worked hard to replaced God's name in this particular technological expression so that I won't be sinning in my head every time I see it, but this is a hard one. I try to say "wow" instead. I'm also trying to stop saying, "Good Lrd" (sarcastically) when something is ridiculous.

TV. We hear it ALL the time on TV. It has to be a personal conviction whether you give up watching television entirely, but have we let ourselves become so immune to this expression that we actually slip and end up saying it as an exclamation sometimes? Oh my Gd! You scared me! I think it happens to even the strongest Christians. When I was a child, my parents wouldn't even allow me to say "oh my gosh" because they said it was too close to the other. I thought they were going overkill. Turns out, they were right - again.

"God told me to do it." We must be careful in claiming what God has told us. It is a beautiful but scary thing to hear from the Lord, something that should be treated with reverence. Some people make a mockery of this by justifying their actions by putting it on God - look at martyrs of other faiths, for instance. God would never ask us to kill innocent people and then ourselves in His name. God would never tell someone to leave their spouse for another person (oh, OH, this one really angers me!!!) or to kill their children or the countless other atrocities we've all heard about.

Basically, I believe that if someone is not praying TO God, worshipping God, witnessing to others ABOUT God, or fellowshipping and recounting what God has done, then His name being mentioned is highly suspect and the speech should be examined. We MUST retain our sense of reverence for God for Who He is and His sovereignty.

Consider this: He could squash us like bugs in the blink of an eye if he chose to. But he chooses, instead, to love us. So we can choose to love Him, the way He wants to be loved. Notice how the first 4 commandments teach us how to love God.
1. Have no other gods.
2. No idols.
3. Remember the Sabbath.
4. Don't take His name in vain.

He made it pretty simple for us bugs...........