And you shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.
When an actor gets on stage, they take on a certain personality or accent according to their character. While they are on stage, they are to remain that character, even if they get off script. When they step off stage, even if they remain in makeup and costume, they are free to be themselves. In certain places, we are like actors, playing the part we know is expected of us. At our grandma’s house, we know there is certain language to use or not use and proper things to do. At church, we know that we are to speak in a certain way and do certain things. But what happens when that is not consistent with who we are outside of those settings? Sometimes we convince ourselves it is okay to say certain things in private or around a certain group but not in others. When we do this, we live like actors who change their characters and values from place to place.
The problem with this logic is that God is looking for true heart change, not empty words. Whether we are cursing at the top of our lungs or in the quiet of our minds, we profane His name. When we make promises we don’t keep, we swear falsely by His name. This is also influenced by the way we keep our promises in our marriages—to love and be faithful to our spouse—or our relationship with God—to surrender and follow Him. Playing a part may earn us temporary approval of man, but God sees our hearts and knows who we truly are.
- What are some places it is easy for you to act according to Christian values and character? Where might you be tempted to live differently?
- Where do you need to confess how you’ve profaned God’s name by speaking or living in a way that testifies falsely about Him?
- Pray and be honest with God about the areas where you struggle to honor Him.
