40 day Journey with Martin Luther (Augsburg Books) Day 6: Using God's Name

"...we are commanded to use [God's name]...to use it in the service of truth and of all that is good--for example...when we call on God's name in time of need, or thank and praise him in time of prosperity, etc." --Martin Luther

I should have expected that any book dedicated to 40 days of Luther would have catechism in it. Sometimes I hope to get into something of Luther's writing that I haven't read, but this path is fine. What I have always appreciated about Luther is that he makes the commandments not merely about a list of prohibitions, but also about living out the commandment in a positive way. For the second commandment, I learn that a Christian life is not merely about what I don't say, but what I say. I call upon God in a time of need and that I give thanks as well. This is a call to use God's name, but by all means, use it with integrity and with faithfulness to the relationship.

Journal reflection:

Are asking, thanking and praising God daily "spiritual habits" for you?

I feel this is a growing area for me, as in, I am actually improving. The struggle right now is modeling this for my children. Our family life is too scattered right now to properly model spiritual habits for our children. The next step is to read Bible stories with them, and add a spiritual practice that reflects joy. We have a habit singing Jesus loves me before bed and making the sign of the cross on their forehead and saying, "Jesus loves you, and so do I." I want to add another practice during this time of discipline.