Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
So, it's time to clean up your act, clean up your potty mouth - get the blasphemy, the irreverence and the slang out of your vocabulary. "OMG" - "Geez" - "Holy whatever" - they need to disappear...replace it with something, anything but what you are using (if you are using any of these). My ex had a favorite expression in which our Savior's name surrounded the most vulgar word of all (and I am ashamed to admit it, but I, too, at one time, spoke those words in anger and hate). This commandment may be only one verse, but there's a lot packed into that verse. Taking the name of the Lord "in vain" is not just swearing (or cursing). There are a few aspects that bear listing.
When we voice those idle utterances that we've come to say without even thinking, He's listening! It has to be a conscious effort to erase them from our vernacular. We say so many things without really thinking about what we say or how we say it (or even how it sounds). I spent four years in Tennessee and during that time I acquired a "southern twang" and a few catch phrases that just don't get the same look up here in Pennsylvania. I'm asked all the time if I'm from the south (I just smile, chuckle and tell them I'm actually from New Jersey - talk about your double-take).
Our rash swearing (mentioning God's name or his attributes), taking an oath without a just reason (you can swear to God in a proper oath - but not amongst your friends when relating a story of another friend - as in "I swear to God, he just did that").
I think additionally, although many times said in jest, "God will get you for that" has become acceptable, but it, too, portrays a hint of hypocrisy - how do we know what God will and will not hold us accountable for individually? Many things said in jest, are at the expense of our Heavenly Father, and I as I'm sure he "gets" the joke, I don't think He approves!
Now for the second half of this commandment...yes, we will be called to account for all of our undertakings, and God Himself be the avenger of those that take His name in vain. I already have enough to answer for, I do not want to add that to the list.
It's one thing to be praising God and Jesus ... it's another to be condemning something or someone in Their names! We do not have the authority to "damn" anything or send anyone to hell - so why do we push the envelope with our Heavenly Father? It's simple - not a hard commandment to follow - just a hard habit to break.
