THOUGHTS ARE THINGS

The Third Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God in vain… (Exodus 20:7) Per Encarta:

Vain: adj

1. excessively proud: excessively proud, especially of your appearance
2. unsuccessful: failing to have or unlikely to have the intended or desired result
a vain attempt at persuading them
3. empty of substance: devoid of substance or meaning

[14th century. Via Old French from Latin vanus “empty, without substance” (source of English evanescent and vanish).]


We demonstrate what we believe by our actions. Someone who states they love everyone but acts with cruelty is vain. The man who stands as honest yet lies and steals at every turn is vain. Their words mean nothing, are devoid of substance, used only in an attempt to enjoy a reputation they know they do not deserve so they can further their selfish desires.
History is replete with those who spoke of God, their love of God, preached how their connection to God was the true path, only to be unmasked as vain, using God as the vehicle to further their own selfish ends.
Fortunately the only demonstration we need be concerned with is our own. Living on the Spiritual Basis we understand the necessity of walking the way we talk. Talking about a power greater than yourself but failing, even refusing to follow the dictates of a higher power leads to pain and suffering, how could it not? We place ourselves at odds, by choice, with the creative intelligence of the universe and then wonder why we struggle. Our actions, demonstration, show that our relationship with God is devoid of any real substance or meaning, vain, we do not walk the way we talk.
The good, no great news for us is that as soon as we do indeed turn our will and life over to the care and direction of God the scales begin to fall from our eyes, our relationship with the Divine taking on substance and meaning because of our new demonstration, vanity replaced with purpose.