And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Exodus 3:5
Many Americans are offended when they enter a Canadian home and find they are expected to remove their shoes; there is apparently less respect in the U.S. for a housewife’s shiny clean floors. Respect was also an important reason for removing footwear in ancient time; slaves and common folk were expected to remove their shoes in the presence of someone of great authority. That is the reason for the instructions to Moses in today’s text. The very ground he was standing on was holy because of the presence of the Almighty. Such respect for God is becoming uncommon these days.
Most of those around us do not consider God to have any relevance in their lives. They know or care nothing about the Bible. Their attitude toward anything of a ‘religious’ nature is courteous apathy at best and scorn or abuse at worst. Because they have no consideration for what lies beyond this life, an invitation to a Gospel meeting is meaningless. To say there is a lack of respect is an understatement.
I recall as a teenager seeing a girl I knew dressed up to attend a Sunday service at the local United church. Unlike her usual casual attire, she was wearing a very nice blouse and skirt that would have been presentable in any company. That’s the way people dressed back then. Not any more! Even in places that have some claim to be evangelical, casual is taken to the extreme. We cringe at so-called worship leaders dressed in sandals, shorts, and garish muscle shirts. Now, we claim to have the presence of our Lord in our meetings. If so, why are we allowing casual attire to creep in? Why is our attitude so lacking in reverence that we stay more attuned to our electronics than to those speaking or praying?
Yes, God looks at our hearts. But if our hearts are reverent and respectful, our attire and our attitude will reflect that. -Jim MacIntosh
Here is the link to the video of this message: https://youtu.be/LYVZ_Zm1IWQ