Separation Anxiety
Leviticus 20:24, ‘Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.’
Humans sometimes have short memories we read or hear commands, and immediately forget these orders. The Lord told the Israelites that they should separate themselves from the people in the land that He was giving them. Being separated from others can sometimes make us feel lonely, and distant from others. But the Lord does not want us to be alone. He wants us to have friends, Christian and non-Christian, but at the same time He does not want us to join in on the activities of people that violate His commands.
But being separated for God means more than not participating in the things that violate the commands of God. It also means choosing to do the things that God wants. It means sometimes we must set aside our own fleshly desires and choose to follow His prompting.
Not all things in the world are bad; even some things that are not “of God”. There is nothing wrong with going to a baseball game, a lot of people, including myself, enjoy going to watch a ballgame. The problem, and possibly the violation of God’s command, lies in what we do; or how we act when we are at the game. If we choose to act like everyone else at the game,yelling at the umpires or players for a missed call or play, then we are violating God’s command. We have been called to “stand out” for God in everything we do.
As the children of God we are called to show people the image of God in everything we do. This is not always an easy thing to do. The Apostle Paul also struggled with this idea of not doing the right thing. He wrote in Romans 7:14, “For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand ; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh ; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death ? 25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord ! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Choosing to do the things of God is not always a natural, or easy choice for us; but it is what God has called us to.
So, go to the game or the movie; whatever you like to do, but remember while you are there you are God’s representative. If you feel like you are getting swept into unGodly behavior Christ will help you keep your focus on Him.
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Father, I thank You for separating me to live for You, and I ask that You would empower me to “stand out” for You, so others will see in me a reflection of You. In Jesus name, Amen
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The image above can be found at: http://thechristianmeditator.com/myblog/2010/02/16/can-anything-separate-us-from-gods-love/http://thechristianmeditator.com/myblog/2010/02/16/can-anything-separate-us-from-gods-love/
Yes, You Can Ministry 