VANITY

    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 always demonstrate our beliefs by our actions. Someone who speaks of love but acts with cruelty, the individual who professes honesty yet lies and steals whenever it suits them is vain. Their words devoid of substance, employed only in an attempt to enjoy a reputation they know they do not deserve, a mere tool to further their selfish desires.
      History is replete with those who spoke of God, their love of God, even preaching about God, only to be unmasked as vain, using God simply as a vehicle to further their own selfish ends.
     Living on the Spiritual Basis, we understand the necessity of walking the way we talk. Talking about a power greater than our self but failing, even refusing to change our ways leads to pain and suffering, how could it not? Having placed ourselves at odds, by choice, with the creative intelligence of the universe, struggle is the natural outcome. 
      The good, no great news for us is that as soon as we 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 as the result of the new demonstration, vanity replaced with true purpose.