When God binds himself to us in a covenant of love, he places his name on us. So, wherever we go we reflect something about God. God wanted his people to always be mindful of this responsibility and it is therefore enshrined in the ten commandments, though many people fail to recognise it here. The third commandment is not just about verbal blasphemy. The literal translation of this commandment is: “Do not take [upon yourself] the Lord’s name falsely” (Exodus 20:7). In other words, it is warning us not to call ourselves “Christian” and then represent the name of Christ in a way that would bring disrepute upon him. That is what this commandment is concerned with. It is about the honour of God’s name. That’s why we are first taught to pray, “Hallowed be your name”. God’s name is honoured when we obey him. But there is a way in which God’s name is honoured even more. God’s name is honoured even more when he forgives, redeems and restores those who had previously dishonoured his name. This demonstrates the very attribute of God that God is most desirous to express: his love. Throughout history many terrible things have been done by people in the name of God. We might shake our heads at this but what about us? What do our lives say about God? We are living messengers of God whether we like it or not. That is what it means to be human. If you feel that you have represented God and Christ badly then allow yourself to become a reflection of his love seeking his forgiveness.
Reflect on how your life represents God.
Read Ezekiel 36:16-23
