Thursday, February 23, 2012

Thursday after Ash Wednesday



The Second Commandment.

You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

What does this mean?--
Answer. We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks 

"Keep my commands and follow them.  I am the Lord.  Do not profane my holy name.  I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites.  I am the Lord, who makes you holy."  -- Leviticus 22:31-32


We show our love to God by honoring and obeying Him in all that we do and say. We should respect and worship Him to the greatest of our abilities. One of the most important ways to respect God is found in the Second Commandment. The Second Commandment concerns the holiness of God's name. We are asked by God to honor and respect His name: "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain." The word "vain" means false, useless, and worthless. In other words, taking God's name in vain refers to abusing, misusing, or cursing of God's name. When using God's name in vain, we are not honoring or obeying God. According to the New Webster's Dictionary, the term "to honor" means to treat with significance. How can we use God's name on a daily basis in a positive way to show our love and respect of Him? We do this in daily prayer, praise, and thanksgiving to Him.

We pray You, O Lord, to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking deceit, that as Your holy angels continuously sing praises to You in heaven, so ma8y we at all times glorify You on earth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Emily Miller



Art Work: Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld ©WELS

Collect For control of the tongue, Lutheran Service Book © 2008 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

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