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Author : Timothy Huguenin
"Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will punish anyone who misuses His name" (Exodus 20:7, HCSB).
It's a familiar verse. Right away, most Americans, even those who are unchurched, can quickly and correctly identify it as one of the Ten Commandments that God gave Moses on Mount Sinai. The oft-quoted and -memorized King James Version is even more familiar to most people I talk to: "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, KJV). The ESV translates it similarly to the KJV, as does the NASB.
The application is familiar, as well. Every good Christian knows not to say, "Oh my god!" This is careless misuse of God's name--using it almost as a swear word, and God surely values the reverence we must show His name in our speech. In fact, one boy was stoned because he actually cursed "the Name" (Leviticus 24:11). Check out the account in Leviticus 24:10-23. God condemned the boy with His own voice in verses 15 and 16: "And tell the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he will bear the consequences of his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of Yahweh is to be put to death; the whole community must stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the foreign resident or the native" (HCSB).
Still, as I consider the commandment about the Name in Exodus 20, I'm convinced that we've missed the meaning there. Yes, Leviticus 24 clearly shows that God takes great offense at the careless misuse of His name. However, I think that Exodus 20:7 is about something altogether different--and more serious.
First, the name specifically referred to here that is not to be vainly taken is not the name "Elohim"--the name commonly translated "God" in the Old Testament. It is "the LORD," which is, in the Hebrew, "Yahweh" (or "Jehovah")--God's special covenant name which He often uses to specially identify Himself with His people. So, the name focused on here isn't Elohim, and we can mark "Oh my god" off of the list of phrases forbidden in this commandment.1
Second--do we ever really stop and think what it really means to "take" a name? The HCSB translators interpreted it according to the commonly understood idea of misusing the Name. However, consider some of the possible ideas contained in the word nasa, here translated "take" by many other formal translations:
to lift, bear up, carry, take
to lift, lift up
to bear, carry, support, sustain, endure2
So, it seems to me that the idea here is definitely not limited to carelessly speaking the name of Yahweh, but, really, it's the idea of actually carrying His name.
When I hear the name "Michael Jordan," instantly my mind goes to images of one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Jordan's prodigious abilities as a professional athlete made for a reputation that is umbilically connected to his name. Imagine you share Michael Jordan's last name. Actually, imagine you are Mike's long-lost brother (or sister). Think of conversations you may have with people you meet.
"Hey, you're a Jordan? You're not related to Michael Jordan, are you?"
"Actually, yes--he's my brother."
"No way! So, you play basketball?"
Now, of course, you would have to admit that no, you are actually terrible at basketball, but you are currently pursuing a promising career in baseball. But you carry the famous name of the amazing, gravity-defying, greatest basketball player to ever soar across the court. When people see you, they will automatically think of the name you carry and the reputation tied to that name.
As God's people, Christians carry His name--meaning, we carry His reputation. If I tell people that I am a follower of Yahweh, or of Jesus, or of God, people will see what I do as a reflection of the character of the God I claim to follow. What I do affects His reputation. And God takes His reputation very seriously. The glory of God is a continuous theme all throughout Scripture and history. The Israelites even had a whole legal system to remind them of and to demonstrate to other nations their God's holiness (Leviticus 22:31-33). Solomon knew this; at the dedication of the spectacular temple he had just built for God, he prayed,
Even for the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel
but has come from a distant land
because of Your name—
for they will hear of Your great name,
mighty hand, and outstretched arm,
and will come and pray toward this temple—
may You hear in heaven, Your dwelling place,
and do according to all the foreigner asks You for.
Then all the people on earth will know Your name,
to fear You as Your people Israel do
and know that this temple I have built
is called by Your name. (1 Kings 8:41-43, HCSB, emphasis mine)
God acts on the basis of His reputation--on the basis of His name. This is a concept that I might elaborate on more fully in a later post one day (for a great illustration of this truth, check out one of my favorite passages in the Bible: Ezekiel 36). However, the goal of this post is to identify what it means to "take" the name of Yahweh--to carry the Name.
So, is taking Yahweh's name in vain a careless word?
or
is it a careless life--under the title, "Christian?"
1I do not condone or promote this phrase or other similar careless, blasphemous uses of any name of God; I merely intend to point out the intention of the discussed commandment.
2Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius. "Hebrew Lexicon entry for 'nasa'". The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon.
BLU Products ("BLU"), one of the fastest growing mobile phone providers in the US, announced today the release of its latest smartphone, the BLU Studio 5.3. With an ergonomic and stylish design, the BLU Studio 5.3 is the ideal personal communications device, combining the user experience of a tablet, with smartphone portability. The main features of the device are its powerful battery, one of the longest–lasting on the market today, and its massive high resolution 5.3" WVGA LCD screen all at an incredibly affordable price.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120227/FL60118 )
The BLU Studio 5.3 is powered by MediaTek's MT6573 processor, which incorporates a POWERVR Series5 SGX GPU to enable advanced 3D graphics capability bringing gaming and user interface capabilities that were previously available only to high-end smartphones. The device will be on display at Mobile World Congress at the MediaTek exhibit located in Hall 1, stand 1C58.
"MediaTek is a natural partner by providing an energy efficient and highly capable mass-market application processor, which will enable its clients to achieve new levels of capabilities and meet emerging consumer demands for advanced performance in lower-priced smartphones," said Samuel Ohev-Zion, Founder and CEO of BLU Products.
The BLU Studio 5.3 is currently available unlocked with Dual SIM support at several online retailers in the US, and throughout Latin America with the MT6573 650MHz variant. An upgraded version with MT6573T in 800 MHz will be launched globally, including in Europe and Asia, before the end of March at a retail price of 199 Euros unlocked. The device will offer HSDPA 3G support, as well as Android v2.3 Gingerbread OS.
About BLU Products
BLU Products, founded in 2009, designs affordable, attractive innovative mobile devices to suit a wide variety of consumer needs. Over three million BLU mobile devices have been sold in almost 40 countries throughout Latin America. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, BLU is one of the fastest-growing companies in the region. For more information, visit: www.bluproducts.com.
About MediaTek Inc.
MediaTek Inc. is a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications and digital multimedia solutions. The company is a market leader and pioneer in cutting-edge SOC system solutions for wireless communications. Founded in 1997 and listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange under the code "2454" For more information, visit MediaTek at www.mediatek.com.
SOURCE BLU Products
Artist Name: B MadE
Song Name: That Name
Download audio file (Bmade-Name-I-Love-to-Call-ra.mp3)
B-MadE single “THAT NAME” is a praise and worship experience expressing the importance of a God in this society of many misleading truths. This song speaks to the heart of mankind to be thankful for every moment of life for the freedom to be.
B-MadE, who is from the west side inner city streets of Chicago, IL. emerges as a man driven by divine purpose to present to the world a movement of great proportions. His style of music is considered to be Kingdom Music. This style of music and sound is an unique blend of every genre of music occasionally mixed into one sound to minister to the heart of men.
Artist Name: Legend
Song Name: Free
Download audio file (Legend-Free.mp3)
Website: www.saviorofsong.com
Follow Me: twiiter.com/saviorofsong
Back again with the latest installment of his Jesus Mix series, Legend goes in on the popular hit ‘Young, Wild, And Free” by Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. Jesus mixes can be requested by fans on Legend’s twitter, youtube and facebook pages. He will be releasing new Jesus mixes every week up until the release of his album “Bed Rest” which will be available for free download on 3/13/12
Author :Pastor Brian Linebarger
Psalms 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
One of the most famous chapters in the Bible….. A chapter that even non believers most likely know. When my wife was the manager of a large mortuary and I was called upon often to officiate at funerals (when the family of the deceased did not know a minister), this psalm was printed on the memorial folders a lot. For those who grew up in Church, chances are this was one of the first Bible verses you were taught to memorize. So, what can we take from these 118 words that apply to our daily lives? A lot!!
If we look at this Psalm line by line, we will find that this small poem/song (yes Psalms are poems/songs), can have a profound effect on our outlook on life, and if applied to our daily life, it will help us to live a more victorious life……
Verse 1: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want:
Sheep are totally dependent on the shepherd for their daily needs. The look to him for their food, water, grooming, whatever…. This is a relationship with God. He will look after our every need.
Verse 2: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
This is the rest and refreshment that God has promised us. We will get weary doing the Lord work, but here he promises to give us rest, and refresh us so that we may continue on in our journey.
Verse 3: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake:
Here we have healing, guidance, and purpose. Doing Gods work can be a tough thing. It can drain us so that we feel that our very soul is weary. But He promises to heal us, then guide us to where he wants us to be, and the place that He will guide us to will serve His purpose, it will serve to bring glory and honor to Him.
Verse 4: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Here we see that we may have to walk through some scary places. Places where it seems that bad things are all around us. God may allow us to go through these places as a test of our faith, but we can take heart in the fact that our shepherd will use the weapons that he has to protect us and run off the evil things so that we have no need to fear, we can take comfort in the fact that our shepherd is “armed to the teeth” and ready, willing, and able to defend us when the time comes.
Verse 5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Here we see that even if there are enemies all around us, our shepherd will prepare a table for us to sit and eat right in the middle of them. Again, we do not have to have any fear, and we can have hope that we are safe and can enjoy our meal. in Biblical times, when you sat down for a meal, you generally laid aside your worries & fears to enjoy what God had provided. Your are also promised to be anointed with oil. It was the custom in Biblical times to give a guest sweet smelling oil to put on themselves (since there were no showers back them, the anointing oil made the guest more presentable. That is also consecration, making us Holy and acceptable. After the consecration, we are also promised that our cup would run over. This of course is Gods blessings on our lives, His promise of abundance for us.
Verse 6: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
This of course, is the most profound and important verse in the Psalm. This is Gods promise that if we follow Him, that we will have good things and mercy throughout our lives, and the hope that we cling to; Gods promise of eternal life once our days on this earth are done.
Prayer
Lord help us today to receive your promises. Help us to trust in you, as our shepherd, knowing that you will never lead us astray, and that even through the dark valley’s of life, you will be there with your rod & staff to defend us against the enemy.
Further Reading
Really read the 23rd Psalms. Even if you can recite it by heart, read in again and let its meaning flow into you.
The Collector’s new Mixtape “FaithBook” is now be Download for FREE!!!!!!!!!Its time to Login!!!!!!!!!!
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Hot on the heels of the ASUS Padfone announcement at Mobile World Congress, we now have a nice hands on video thanks to our friends at PhoneArena. While this phone and tablet accessory have been in the works for a quite a long time now, it looks like it will actually start to arrive to unsaid markets in April. One thing I am happy to see is that ASUS opted for the onscreen ICS buttons rather than the hardware buttons we have seen on earlier prototypes it definitely makes for a cleaner look in my opinion. The Padfone combo also has an optional keyboard dock much like the Transformer s…
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Hands On with the ASUS Padfone [Video]
Stacy Bruce – talkandroid.com
We’ve been bemoaning the lack of availability of the Sony Tablet P, a unique clamshell Android tablet, ever since it launched in Japan and failed to materialize here in the US. It looks like the long wait is finally over: the Sony Tablet P will come to AT&T on Sunday, March 4th, four months after it hit the market elsewhere. The tablet will cost 9.99 not bad, but of course you’ll also need to sign up for a new two-year contract or renew your current one. Unlike most of the new tablets headed to MWC, the Tablet P will only get access to HSPA+ “4G”, not the new LTE network.
Just to refresh your memory, the Tablet P uses a pair of 5.5-inch LCD screens joined by a hinge, which can operate independently or combine to make a segmented “full screen” Honeycomb interface. Each one uses a resolution of 1024×480, combining to make 1024×960, a nearly square aspect ratio. Inside is a dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 1GB of RAM powering the interface, with just 4GB of storage augmented by an open MicroSD card slot. When it launches on Sunday the Tablet P will be running Android 3.2 Honeycomb with Sony’s software additions, including support for officially ported PlayStation games.
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Sony Tablet P headed to AT&T on March 4th
Michael Crider – androidcommunity.com
Back in August 2011 we talked about a neat game that would be making it’s way to Android called SQUIDS. Developed by The Game Bakers, SQUIDS is a blend of turn-based tactical strategy gaming with RPG elements mixed into it. The good news is, it is now on the Android Market.
Read more…
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SQUIDS tactical Action-RPG squirms it’s way onto Android
droidgamers.com
There is some wisdom in the old adage that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out, and remove all doubt. What this means, of course, is that keeping quiet is better than saying something foolish, and saying nothing at all is sometimes profound in its eloquence. This precept is found in Proverbs 17. There we read:
“Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; [When] he shuts his lips, [he is considered] perceptive.” – Proverbs 17:28
We find a similar precept in the book of Job. There we read: “Oh, that you would be silent, and it would be your wisdom…! (Job 13:5). The important thing is to discern between when it is best to say something, or to say nothing. For example, it is better to keep quiet about topics with which we are not familiar, or where we don’t have the full story. Proverbs 18:3 says that he who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. On the other hand, if we see sin, we should not be afraid to confront it and call it what it is. We are not left on our own to determine how to handle that situation, as it is covered very well in Matthew 18.
Today, let us exercise discernment and speak when appropriate. Let us walk in wisdom (Colossians 4:5), let us not be hypocritical (Matthew 23:13), and let us ask the Lord to keep watch over our lips (Psalm 141:3). In as much as depends on us, let us be live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:8), because even a fool is counted wise when he keeps his peace.
Written by: T. Edward Tucker | © 2011 copyright reserved
At Mobile World Congress, Samsung announced the launch of GALAXY Note 10.1, which expands the GALAXY Note experience in creativity, productivity, and learning.
With its large display, GALAXY Note 10.1 provides multi-screen functionality to maximize efficiency in learning, work and creative endeavors. Its multi-screen functionality enables you to do a true multi-tasking, by viewing Internet pages, videos or other applications side by side while writing or sketching your ideas.
GALAXY Note 10.1 features S Note, a unique and efficient tool that lets you combine notes or sketches together with web content, images and other digital media into your own personalized storyboards. It gives you a new way to create stories as S Note provides various ready-to-use templates such as meeting minutes, recipe, cards, diary, magazine and more. Also, hand-drawn geometric shapes can be perfectly digitized by using the Shape Match function, which helps users to create more organized idea sketches and storyboards.
Moreover, by using the S Note’s integrated knowledge search engines, users can quickly search, obtain information, and easily drag & drop the cropped images and content onto S Notes without having to switch between screens.
GALAXY Note 10.1 enables an extraordinary learning experience. Students can watch a lecture live-streamed on video while writing down comments on S Note; research a college essay on the web while taking notes; or even read a full e-textbook while annotating it. Similar to the Shape Match, Formula Match function helps to correct and digitize formulas hand-drawn with S Pen, making the device a more powerful education tool.
Users can fully enjoy PC-like premium photo editing and drawing experiences with Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Ideas. Photoshop Touch lets users transform images with core Photoshop features and combine multiple photos into layered images, make popular edits, apply professional effects, and more. Adobe Ideas is an easy-to-master drawing tool that allows users to sketch ideas, choose amazing color themes and import images. Both are specially optimized for S pen and are exclusively pre-loaded on Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1.
Ensuring intuitive multitasking and web browsing, GALAXY Note 10.1 runs onAndroid 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and features a 1.4GHz dual-core processorand HSPA+ connectivity. Its real-time video streaming and Full HD video playback add to the device’s content versatility.
GALAXY Note 10.1’s innovative S Pen, the most advanced pen input solution on the market, is completely integrated into the device’s original applications. It provides enhanced pressure sensitivity, superior accuracy and control when editing or writing, providing an analog pen writing experience on a digital device.
The GALAXY Note 10.1 is exhibited at Samsung stand (Hall 8), Mobile World Congress 2012. For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visit www.samsungmobilepress.com.
by Brian H. Mathis 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalms 34:11-14 (ESV) Do you desire to experience all the good things God has planned for you? If so he has given us advice through King David of a few things that we need to do and apply to our lives. First and foremost is a healthy fear of God. We should understand that we are not worthy of any of the blessings He has promised to provide us because of anything we have done. Yet because Jesus came and died for us we are shown the mercy of God. There was a group of individuals who lived in and around the Jews through out there history that were not Jews; but they were called God-fearers (worshipper of God). They were often people who had been allowed to live in proximity to Israeli recognizing the power of Jehovah God in the Old Testament they were called strangers. They understood and feared the power of God but did not abide by the full law. I challenge you to ask yourself a question; are you a born again Christian or are you a God-fearer. Do you know there is a God and believe in Him not truly understanding what you need to be doing to abide in a life with Him or have you excepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior there is a difference. That difference is as far as I am concerned very important. You can fear God throughout your life; keeping your tongue from evil and never speaking deceit you can seek and purse peace and live a good life. But in the end you will find yourself wanting. Because scripture tells us in Acts 4:12 that, ""And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." That name is Jesus. I ask you today where you stand are you a God-fearer or a Jesus Follower? The choice is yours and the difference is eternal. Have a blessed day as you walk in the light of His word. |