Skip to main content

When God Breaks In



            When I was a kid, I was taught that the temple in Jerusalem was God’s special dwelling place (see 1 Kings 8).  Over time, God’s people became unfaithful to him, so he allowed Jerusalem to be overrun and the temple was destroyed.  The conclusion to that lesson was that there are now no “special holy places” anymore.  But what if that is not the way to see things?

            Consider this:  In Exodus chapter three, Moses is in a desert in the middle of nowhere.  In the distance, he sees a bush that is on fire, but, strangely, it is not burning up.  When he goes to investigate, God says to him, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (verse 5).  Now, why was that ground holy?  Was it because there was something unique and special about that plot of sand?  Of course not!  It was holy because God was there!

            So, instead of thinking that “nothing is holy”, maybe I need to see things through the filter that says, “Since God is here, everything has the potential to be holy.  Everything can be God infused!”   That one change in thinking could change every little thing.

            In fact, based on that sort of thinking, I could show you lots of “holy ground” in Estevan.  I could take you to the leisure centre parking lot and show you the spot where, after hockey one night, a team-mate and I had a “big life conversation” until one in the morning.  I would take you to the hospital and show you rooms where I prayed with people, held newborn babies, or sat with someone as they died.  I would show you the table in a local restaurant where my then-to-be wife and I sat to write our marriage vows.  I could show you the place where several women spend time making quilts to give away to those who need them.  In each case, and many more, something about God was happening there.  You just have to look for it.         

           What I am advocating for here is not a change of circumstances, but rather simply a change of vision.   We do not leave God at the church building on Sunday morning.  Instead, his presence goes with us and that fact allows us to be both a recipient and a conduit of God’s grace and blessing every minute of every day. 

            What if instead of “nothing” being holy, “everything” was?

           “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Consider This: Who Needs Worship?

  Why does God need our worship? The events of Matthew 14 provide at least one answer.   This chapter starts with the beheading of John the Baptist (verses 1-12). This is the first in a series of events that indicate things are about to become much more difficult for the believers. Next, the scene shifts to a crowd gathered on a hillside in Galilee. After listening to Jesus teach all day, the apostles realized that these people had nothing to eat. They brought the problem to Jesus. He took a child’s lunch and fed the entire group of five thousand men plus women and children. Afterwards, they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers (verses 13-21).   Then Jesus told them to get in a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee. As they went, a storm arose, and the apostles were scared. They struggled along until Jesus came to them walking on the water. Peter tried walking on the water too and sank. After Jesus rescued Peter, they got into the boat, and the storm immediately s...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Spiritual Makeover (1 Peter 1:13-16)

 Three responses to the new life God has given us.  https://youtu.be/FmqX5-3jOKc  
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: The Danger of Drifting

   Consider This: The Danger of Drifting Most people will not blow up their life in one big, messy moment. It can happen, and when it does, the damage is obvious and instantaneous. Like a car wreck at an intersection, people make a bad decision, and chaos ensues. Parts and pieces scatter all over. People get hurt. Situations like this are unexpected, loud, shocking and scary. Most of us will not wreck our lives in one big, terrible moment. The real danger is that we will lose what is valuable in small, almost imperceptible steps. It happens all the time. You can leave your marriage without ever leaving your house. You can leave your faith while still attending church. You can leave your life while you are still living it. Many people lose what they love, not by making one big, out-of-character decision, but by coasting, disengaging, neglecting and missing what matters. Almost every Biblical list of Christian characteristics mentions “Self-control”, yet I have not g...
Post a Comment
Read more