HOLY...!?

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." (Exodus 20:7) One of the true and unfortunate consequences of living in this technological world, with the advent of television, movies, and internet is the use of God's name in vain without even realizing it at times. If you have not noticed, cable TV and sometimes network TV are not even willing to "bleep" the profane use of God's name. How far we have come in the name of progress. How easily as Christians we have been rolled over by secularism and separation of Church and State that we could never imagine ourselves to stand up for God.
As Christians, we are called to a higher standard of behavior. This includes our mouths and to not voice our displeasure or anger by blaming something on God by taking His name. As with every sin we commit, it is not God who suffers, but our dignity as a Christian human being that suffers when we drive a wedge into our relationship with our creator. We can also fool ourselves by using softer words, such as "gosh darn-it" or "Jeez" which happen to have amazingly similar sounds to a profane vocabulary. Do we use these words to perhaps voice our anger at God while thinking we have not profaned? Our conscience can tell us.
The name of God is so carelessly used in society, that our conscience may have been blinded to the offense. If that is the case, we must become resolute to fix this problem. It is our call to not sink to the way of the world, but to rise and stay above it. We will be responsible to God and there will not be an excuse of "everyone else does it" while hanging our responsibility off on society.
"Swear to God" is another phrase used in abundance. If we place our honor and word on the shoulders of God loosely, we had better make sure we comply. It is God's honor at stake when one does this and God does not take His honor lightly. In fact, except in a court of law it should not be done. (See Matthew 5:34) It is God's throne we mock when we break oaths to God. This is such a dangerous commandment for us because God's name has been subtly taken so many times, it has become a norm of society to do so. It is up to us to take back God's name for only the Holy.