Fri.-Sabbath, 11/20-22/09 Devotion

Wahoo--it's almost Sunday, the day we get to go to church! So as to help prepare you for holy worship, here is Thomas Watson, from his book, "The Ten Commandments." Here, he is dealing with the third commandment. . . .

"When we profess God's name, but do not live answerably to it, we take it in vain. 'They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him,' (Titus 1:16). When men's tongues and lives are contrary to one another, when, under a mask of profession, they lie and cozen, and are unclean, they make use of God's name to abuse Him, and take it in vain. 'The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you,' (Rom. 2:24). When the heathen saw the Jews, who professed to be God's people, to be scandalous, it made them speak evil of God, and hate the true religion for their sakes. . . .

"[We take God's name in vain] when we worship Him with our lips, but not with our hearts. God calls for the heart: 'My son, give Me your heart,' (Prov. 23:26). The heart is the chief thing in religion; it draws the will and affections after it. The heart is the incense that perfumes our holy things; is the altar that sanctifies the offering. When we seem to worship God, but withdraw our heart from Him, we take His name in vain. 'This people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour Me, but have removed their heart far from Me,' (Isa. 29:13)."