We're Standing On Holy Ground!

We need to get a better understanding of our heavenly Father and His ways. We are too familiar with our ways and wants and push them instead of submitting to God. It can easily happen. Rather than a denial of self, we promote our own desires and thinking. The result is seen in our approach to our God in our worship of Him.

When Moses encountered God at the burning bush (Ex. 3). The voice of God called, "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." Holy ground is in the presence of God. The idea of holy literally means not to treat as common. The wilderness area was full of sand, bushes and rocks yet this one area, the area where the presence of God appeared, was holy. It was different than all the common ground around and God wanted some reverence and respect shown for His presence so He instructed Moses to remove his sandals. Moses was not standing in the presence of common man on common ground. What did Moses do? He hid his face and was afraid to look at God (Ex. 3:6)! It sent a respect and reverence (fear) because of the presence of God.

When that high priest entered the Holy of Holies, the very presence of the Lord, there was reverence and respect shown. The room was not common like other parts of the tabernacle and only the high priest was allowed into the very presence of God, once a year. The high priest was standing on holy ground and he showed great reverence for God, not a lot of commotion.

The prophet Habakkuk spoke out clearly for the Lord God, stating that "the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silent before Him." (Hab. 2:20) God's people began treating Him as common and God was going to punish them by sending the Chaldean's to hurt them. They lost His holiness for their lives!

There are so many examples used to show us the holiness of God. Reverence is what seems to be lost in the church today. The church is tied to God/Christ and that makes us holy. We aren't common like some public gathering or event but we are the holy temple of God (I Cor. 3:17). Worship must be a worship that is not treating God as common but recognizing His greatness, His power and holiness. True worship is God centered and when we take our eyes off of God and center it on us, the holiness of God is lost. The danger is we take the worship as Christ's body and treat Him as common, like some type of production or human event. Worship for many is becoming a place of entertainment and emotional charges. People want to "experience God" so they try to make their worship a place of emotional release, not understanding that taints the holiness of God. When worship becomes man-centered, man-motivated and man-manipulated it is no longer God centered, much less holy. I am not trying to bash anyone. I want us to grasp who our God is and our approach in our worship reveals our reverence or lack thereof. Our worship reveals our understanding and knowledge of God. When our worship is evaluated by what happens in our emotions or uplifting experience, it is geared to man and we become the center. Worship becomes common while using the holy name of our God to promote our ways and desires. Once our worship heads toward common ground, common man, it is extremely difficult to get people to turn back to the holiness of God because of what they "feel" in their worship.

Real, genuine worship takes place in the heart of the worshiper, not orchestrated by man or man's instruments. Too many are confusing religious entertainment with God centered worship because they do not realize or understand the holiness of God. True worship in the heart can affect your emotions but worship that is designed to stimulate the emotions is an entertainment or moving experience we would see at some function in the common world. "Therefore, since we received a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:28-29)

We are the people of God! We are holy because of God! God does not treat us as the common world but as His holy, sanctified, redeemed people. We need to realize who we are and who we belong to. Our lives should reflect holy behavior (I Pet. 1:15-16). Our worship should not be treated as a form of entertainment but a recognition of the holiness of God. Too much of our worship reflects the entertainment saturated society we live in. It cost Israel to go into captivity over and over because they took on the attitude of the lost world around them, following their practices and lost the holiness of God. We too, in the church, are following the worlds practices gearing our worship to world appeal/people appeal rather than God appeal. We might ought to wake up and realize, We're standing on holy ground!