This may seem like a silly question but I do not think it is.
Every day, if we are Christians, we are bombarded with worldly people and media who always seem to be taking the Lord's name in vain. I can't think of a sin that hurts me more. But as I said in a previous post, we can't expect the world to conform to Godly principles so we are left with the choice to either put up with it or not expose ourselves to it. Either option is a good option depending on the situation.
Think about this though. How often to YOU take the Lord's name in vain?
Using the Lord's name in vain is not just saying "Oh _____!" when something goes wrong or you get excited. That IS taking the Lords name in vain but you already knew that. Taking the Lords name in vain also means simply being irreverent or not placing the proper regard when saying that name.
I'm not sure about you, but I find that rather heavy. The ramifications of this mean that when we aren't consciously referring to the Lord we should not be saying His name. What do I mean by this?
Take the example of singing. Granted this may not be that most theologically sound but I can almost imagine God sitting in heaven listening to the millions of believers worshiping Him. He's hearing His name called over and over again describing how great He is. As He is intently listening, He hears me saying His name. He acknowledges me addressing him but I'm busy thinking about lunch.
How often do we stand in church singing, when our mind runs amuck and we are all of a sudden thinking about lunch. This song talks about God and mentions Him a few times. The issue is that we did not address Him with the reverence that He deserves. We seemed to think that the ham in the oven was more important than directly addressing God.
The same example can be seen from an earthly standpoint. If a child mindlessly calls out their fathers name but doesn't really want them how does that make him feel? We serve a God who is so much more deserving than our earthly parents.
We cannot just pointlessly utter the name of God. We must be aware every time we say it. We must recognize who we are addressing. Understanding the majesty and the wonder of who God really is, is a priority to living the Radical Life.
