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by Kirk Gliebe
I have always been impressed with athletic ability. This is probably related to my own complete inability to excel in sports. I probably could have done better in sports as a youth if I had worked at it more. I guess what it comes down to is that I liked what exercise and practice produced, but I wasn't willing to exercise and practice with the dedication necessary to get there myself! Just as being a great athlete requires dedication and practice, so does becoming a maturing follower of the Messiah. Living effective lives for God has its requirements!
Our Torah portion (Numbers 4:21-7:89) begins with a census of the Levites for the purpose of assigning specific families to areas of service for the Tabernacle. We learn that God is picky about who he lets get close to his holy place and he tells Moses to enforce certain rules within the camp, with the reason, "... that they won't defile their camp, where I live among you" (Num 5:3b). Beginning in chapter 6, we learn of a uniquely committed person: the nazir. This person, either a man or woman, made a special vow to God. The purpose of the vow was to show one's dedication to the Lord. The vow required committing oneself to specific actions: sobriety -- abstaining from wine and any other intoxicant or grape product; austerity -- no shaving or cutting of one's hair of any kind, and separation -- not going near any dead body of any kind. Living effectively for God requires a willingness to do and not do specific things! Practicing specific actions help us to live committed lives for God!
The Haftarah portion (Judges 13:2-25) relates how the Angel of the Lord revealed the birth of Samson to his parents, first to his unnamed mother, and then to Manoach his father. The Angel told them they were to have a son, whom they were to raise as a nazir from birth, setting him apart for God and God's service. It was Samson's parents' responsibility to establish and then foster his unique calling during his childhood. Ultimately he would need to accept God's calling for his life himself, but it was his parents' responsibility to encourage him in this direction by training him in the way he was supposed to go. One must be willing to listen and learn from one's parents and mentors. Sadly, Samson chose to not listen to his parents' good counsel, which ultimately cost him his life. We can never forget our need for spiritual encouragement and direction, whether from our physical parents or our spiritual mentors. Encouragement from others is a requirement if we desire to live committed lives for God!
In the Brit Chadashah portion (2 Timothy 2:7-13) Paul is writing to encourage Timothy to stay dedicated in living his life for God and to keep an eternal focus despite the many disappointments and difficulties in life. As followers of Messiah Yeshua we can become discouraged. It is hard to be the people God wants us to be when this means we become increasingly different from the rest of our society. Yet this is what God expects of us! How can we stay encouraged? Keep an eternal perspective! It is a requirement for a growing and maturing faith to never forget that what is truly real and meaningful is not what we see with our eyes, but instead what we know based on God's Scripture and on our relationship with God. Keeping our focus on eternity is a requirement for living an eternally effective life for God!
Just as a successful athlete must stay dedicated to exercise and practice in order to excel, so must we show that same kind of dedication to our spiritual growth and development. Let us live out God's requirements for spiritual effectiveness through specific godly actions, encouraging and being encouraged by others, and by keeping our focus always on the reality of our eternity in God's World to come!
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