We talk of Christ and the 3rd Commandment

The Spirit has over the years illuminated my understanding regarding the 3rd Commandment given unto Moses and the House of Israel:

Exodus 20:7 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.

Which is word for word perfect with Mosiah 13:15 as given unto the Priest of Noah, buy the Prophet Abinadi. The need for further witnesses is accomplished. In our companionship study we have been reading Isiah for Air Heads by John Bytheway, and we came across this verse:

Abraham 1:18 Behold, I will lead thee by my hand, and I will take thee, to put upon thee my name, even the Priesthood of thy father, and my power shall be over thee.

This is saying that take the lords name has little to do with the words we speak, but with how we treat our interactions with the Priesthood, wither it is a priesthood leader, assignment of covenant. Emphasis on that last one.

In the Navy I befriended a man that had been astringed from the Church for some time, but was already on the path to reaping fully of the lords blessings. We talked often of the gospel, me thinking myself the teacher, yet I must say, I learned a lot from our chats. He mentioned how the 3rd commandment is not about swearing or over using the Lords name. It is about how we keep our covenants and NOT using the Lords name. The spirit confirmed this to me then and many times since.

As a family we are reading in the Book of Mormon the account recorded by Nephi the son of Lehi. In addition my last two lessons have revolved around teachings from these two books, 1 and 2 Nephi. Nephi makes this statement:

2 Nephi 25:26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

Do we do this in our lives, or has the false interpretation of the 3rd commandment stolen that away from us. Has Satan doped us again. I think that the Lords instructions (3 Nephi 27:4-10) to the survivors of the destruction the occurs in the Americas at his death regarding what should be the name of the church applies here too.

4 And the Lord said unto them: Verily, verily, I say unto you, why is it that the people should murmur and dispute because of this thing?

 5 Have they not read the scriptures, which say ye must take upon you the name of Christ, which is my name? For by this name shall ye be called at the last day;

 6 And whoso taketh upon him my name, and endureth to the end, the same shall be saved at the last day.

 7 Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake.

 8 And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

 9 Verily I say unto you, that ye are built upon my gospel; therefore ye shall call whatsoever things ye do call, in my name; therefore if ye call upon the Father, for the church, if it be in my name the Father will hear you;

 10 And if it so be that the church is built upon my gospel then will the Father show forth his own works in it.

I think it is worth noting a seaming discrepancies with this interpretation of the 3rd commandment, that yes we call the priesthood the Melchizedek Priesthood for the reason found in D&C 107:3-4

 3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

 4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.

In addition to the practices of the Jews concerning saying the name of the Lord, but it must also be remembered, That it was the Jews that were frequently chastised for forgetting their Lord and God. Was that because they took Satan's false teachings and ran with it. I know that I am guilty of this. I talk often with my wife, but my children are estranged from those conversations. We do pray together and read scriptures together and go to church together, but I can't say we talk, rejoice, preach and prophesy of Christ in the same way the Nephi demonstrates.

Were do we find the right balance to help my children come unto Christ without becoming sick of hearing about Christ. I prefer to lean more heavily on Nephi because as he described it:

2 Nephi 5:27 And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.

I would love my children to remember their days in our home this way. NOT fun but happiness  because there is a huge difference in my mind.

As I look at this 3rd Commandment from a different view the spirit seams to wisper that the same holds true for other commandments as well. Like in regard to idol worship. We most often associate it with giving greater devotion to other things then god, but even if we place god and his doctrine above all else do we allow it to move us, to change us. Or do we treat it like a dead religion equal to that of the idols. Teaching  the doctorine but never allowing that doctorine to really take hold. Are we idol or indifferent to our own beliefs or do we constantly work to progress along the path. For the plan of Salvation is not a destination but an eternal progression as I understand it. Are we falsly enduring to the end, or are we ever progressing towards becomming that which is greater then we are now.