Taking the Lord’s Name In Vain

The third of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord Thy God in vain." Obedience to this commandment is usually in the context of not blaspheming or in other words, not speaking the name of God as a curse. However, in the Sacramental prayers, we witness unto God that we are willing to take upon us God's name. In the context of our baptismal covenants and the Sacrament, taking the Lord's name in vain has less to do with how we talk and more to do with how we live our life. When we partake of the Sacrament, we take the Lord's name by keeping the Commandments and always striving to have His spirit to be with us. The blessings that come from faithfully partaking of the Sacrament and renewing our baptismal covenants and obtaining forgiveness for our sins are meant to improve and ennoble every aspect of our lives. We take the Lord's name so that He can be with us always in Spirit and lighten our burdens and soothe our hearts and speak peace to our souls. If we aren't getting that constant, divine assistance, either through lack of faith or lack of faithfulness to keeping the Commandments, then we are taking the Lord's name in vain. It hurts God deeply when we try to go through this life without Him because He knows perfectly our weaknesses and how hard things can get when we attempt them without His divine assistance. He doesn't want us to take His name in vain because He is deeply invested in our success and hates to see us fail. I know that the more and more we partake of the Sacrament worthily and earnestly, the less and less we take the Lord's name in vain, but rather take His name upon us to our success and His glory.