Standing on Holy Ground

Standing on Holy Ground

Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  (Exodus 3:5 – NASB)

Two people enjoying time together? Looks like Holy Ground to me.

When we read the account of Moses standing on Holy Ground and being told to take the shoes from off his feet, we are captivated by the dramatic scene and wish, perhaps we could have and experience like that.

I think we are missing the point.

Holy ground is all around us.

There may not be a burning bush and we may not hear God’s voice emanating from it. We nevertheless encounter many situations in life that should cause us to tread carefully; they are just as much Holy Ground as that on which Moses trod. We come across these situations and carelessly pass them by; we do not recognize them as a sacred trust God has brought our way. We are being given an opportunity to respond with compassion, and demonstrate the Love of Christ in them. They, however just seem like the common occurrences of life and we don’t realize they are holy ground to God.

• Two friends enjoying time together
• A friend suffering from depression
• A pregnant teen
• A wayward son or daughter

I don’t think I have to make the list any longer. Each of us come across people suffering varied forms of trouble and anguish. All we need to do is recognize them as Holy Ground, and respond accordingly.

Holy Ground

(6th June 1992)

Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  (Exodus 3:5 – NASB)

I envied Moses as He stood

On Holy Ground back then

And heard the voice of God Most High —

Most privileged of men.

“Why can’t I stand like Moses on

The ground of Holy kind,

And hear the voice of God breathe out

His Words into my mind.”

Such were my thoughts, such my complaint,

In holy reverence prayed,

Whenever I bowed my head to seek

The pathway Christ had made.

And soon the answer sounded forth

Upon my inner ear:

The still small voice of God that said,

“Come listen! Come and hear!

“The Holy Ground of Scripture lies

Within your view, my child.

Take off the shoes of careless thought

Lest Truth be soiled – defiled.

“And then there is the Holy Ground

Of foreign missions, see,

A precious tract of land to Christ

Who said, ‘Come unto me.’

“Tread softly, Christian, on the ground

Where lost souls’ feet have trod.

Take now the shoes from off your feet —

It is Holy Ground to God.

“Where ever you look, both far and near,

You find some holy place.

What’s common ground to careless souls

May be the ground of Grace.

“Perhaps it is your brother’s need,

His mountain of distress,

That you conceive as nothing more

Than mild unhappiness.

It is Holy Ground, don’t dare to walk

Across your brother’s need,

Till Faith and Love have filled your heart,

And Mercy has agreed.”

This image is in the public domain.
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He’s Not Heavy

Picture by Christopher Shennan

He’s Not Heavy

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 – NASB)

What is “the law of Christ”?

It is found in the Gospel of John:

“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (John 15:12 – NASB)

How does one keep this commandment?

By bearing one another’s burdens.

The picture above was taken 33 years ago and made it into a poster with the caption “He’s not heavy, he’s my brother.” The girl and boy in the picture (all grown-up now) were having a wonderful time. The little girl does not appear to mind pushing the boy around. It was not a burden to her, but a delight.

This is how Jesus wants us to love one another – by taking responsibility to lighten the load a brother or sister in Christ. And while we lift the burden, the amazing thing is the burden does not feel like a burden. Love lightens the load.

It is a kind of a paradox.

I have found it true in my own experience that, after I have spent some time encouraging someone going through some trial, I have come away feeling lighter. My own burdens have seemed much easier to deal with than before.

I believe Jesus helps share our load when we are willing to share another’s load.

Someone said to me, “Won’t you suffer burn-out if you keep on carrying everyone else’s burdens”

My answer? “Not in the least. I simply do what we are told to do in Peter’s first letter:

…casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7 – NASB)

You can cast your own burdens upon Jesus, as well as any number of others you may pick up during the day. Jesus can carry them all.

My Brother’s Burden

(© Friday 28^th November – by Christopher Shennan)

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 – NASB)

There was no way I could carry

The load that weighed my brother down,

Or even to make it lighter;

I carried enough of my own.

But my Lord said, “Lift his burden,

Just take it by faith and obey;

You’ll find your own grow lighter,

And you’ll walk with joy on your way.”

I lifted my brother’s burden,

As my Lord had told me to do;

I found that His yoke was easy –

And the words He had said were true.

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Team Satisfaction

Team Satisfaction

Picture credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Team_work.jpg.

Read: Mark 2:1-13

And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5 – NASB)

When true believers come together to engage in a team effort to win the lost, there will some satisfaction to their labours.

And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5 – NASB)

 

You notice here that this paralytic received forgiveness of sins because of the faith of the four stretcher-bearers, not on the faith of the paralytic himself. Jesus made specific mention of this. It was when He saw their faith that He forgave the sins of the paralytic.

I am not saying the paralytic had no faith. He may have, but Mark makes particular mention of forgiveness being granted because of the faith of the four stretcher bearers.

I wonder if we realize how much our own faith figures in winning the lost to Christ. We rightly urge people to believe; they must put their faith in Christ and wholly depend upon His sacrifice and resurrection to save them. 

Nevertheless, God honours the faith of those who are seeking to win the lost to Christ. Without faith we cannot please Him; without faith we cannot abide in Him, and therefore apart from Him we can do nothing. If we want to win the lost for Christ we have just got to believe that He will do it.

D.L. Moody said, “A little faith will bring you to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.” A lot of faith may even bring heaven to someone else’s soul.

Albert Schweitzer said, “All work that is worth anything is done in faith.”

Sign on a Church Bulletin Board, “We believe the task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.”

I Really Believe

(© Friday 5^th September 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)

I really believe that my faith and yours,

Combined with some other believers, too,

Will bring other sinners to Heaven’s shores;

The Spirit of God will bless what we do.

 

There is no satisfaction that compares,

Through the years of time and eternity,

To the joy of seeing a sinner’s cares

Lifted, and his blind eyes made to see.

 

To see a sinner forgiven, made whole

And ushered into God’s Presence and power,

Is the highest of joys to bless the soul –

Makes the angels rejoice, and devils cower.

 

So come now with me and taste of that joy;

Let’s labour together to win the lost –

Let’s all of our strength and courage employ –

Refusing to linger and count the cost.

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A Miracle for Anje: Guest Writer

Anje Wynands gave this testimony in our church recently. It was a touching and powerful testimony to God’s Grace, and to the loving support of God’s people.I am sure it will do the same for you as it did to us

I used to hate myself. I hated everything about me. I am a perfectionist who is so far from perfect.   It makes me crazy when I can’t get it all right. And every time I looked at myself, I knew how far from perfect I was. And, I was getting further every moment.

One by one, I removed every mirror I could from my family’s home, because I did not want to see who I was. For more than a decade, I refused to have my picture taken. I hoped to erase all evidence of my own existence. I often felt that I wished that I could just start shrinking and never stop until I actually disappeared. It’s not that I didn’t believe all that I read about God’s grace and mercy.   For everyone else. Just not me. Never me.

I was so sure of God’s love and mercy that I became involved in a group here at Bethany called Stephen Ministry. It’s a group of people who ooze compassion, grace and mercy. Normally, one Stephen Minister comes alongside one care receiver to listen to them as they work through a dark time in their life, be it the breakdown of their marriage, grief over a lost loved one, their own worsening health, whatever their darkness entails. But God has blessed me more than I can ever tell, because I am surrounded by all the Stephen Ministers at once and what a difference their light has been to my darkness.  I think God knew that’s what it was going to take for me to change, that’s how dark I was on the inside.

At our Stephen Ministry meetings I have so often reminded the group of Hebrews 3:13:  encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  And I have been so blessed that the Stephen Ministers have lived this out.

It wasn’t an immediate change. They loved me from the start, but it would take years of convincing. Over these years, they have spent endless hours listening to me tell about my imperfections. Miraculously they loved me anyway.   They have believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. They trust me when I don’t trust myself. They build me up with words of encouragement and reassurance. When my mom died in Pennsylvania, they drove down there in a blizzard to comfort me. They loved me though I thought I was unloveable.

And then one day I finally believed it. Not just their love for me but God’s love for me too. God’s. Love. For. Me. I felt it for the first time. I will never forget that moment.

I wanted to share these pictures of me with you so you can see the difference it makes when you know someone loves you. Really loves you. Someone who doesn’t have to love you but chooses to out of the love God has put in their heart.

When I look at these pictures, I can’t help but smile. Not because of the physical changes, but the changes that I know happened on the inside. Now I know I’m still not perfect inside or out, but it’s okay. I am loved by God who is himself perfect and made me just the way he wanted.