Numbers 6 - Separated For God

What do you do when you want to get closer to God?  Do you eliminate distractions from your life?  Do you go away for a retreat? Do you lock yourself away?  Do you increase attendance in worship?  

In this passage we learn of the vow of the Nazerite. This vow was voluntarily taken to separate and dedicate oneself to seeking and serving God. The three primary commands undertaken in observing the vow were 1. No strong drink, 2. No cutting of hair and 3. No defiling contact with dead. After the vow was completed there was a ceremony of shaving and burning the hair and presenting a wave offering to The Lord. 

All of us want to know that we are in fellowship with God, but there are apecial times when we seek a deeper fellowship longing for God's wisdom or special blessing. When we make major life choices we want to be sure we are choosing the right course or if we are faced with a crisis of faith and want to be sure we are not chasing after vapors but that our hope and our salvation is real. 

As a matter of adoption, all Christians are separated for service. Belonging to Christ we owe our entire beings to Him. We are His to command and we should be quick to obey. We are children of grace and not of law so formal ceremony may not be a part of this separation, but there should be something different about us something separate from the world. 

What distinguished you as a Christian?  Is it your private worship of our Lord?  Do you act differently from those who do not know Christ as their savior?  

Our allegiance should be clear and there should be no doubt about our selection of Masters.  Too many Chrisitians have become comfortable with the world and it's ways. We fear the powers at work here and are afraid to offer an alternative. Perhaps more of us need to take a time of complete separation and consider God's direction so that we are not prone to degrade our service with second best for The Lord.  Even if we are not ministers of the gospel, as God's children wouldn't it be appropriate to consider again our mission and our purpose before Him?

Like organizing a time of strategic planning for a business a time of separation allows for greater focus and clarity regarding our role and a time of reflection to set things right before our Creator. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.