Numbers 6:2
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:”
God gave the children of Israel a chance to volunteer to serve Him. In order for a person to do this, they would separate themselves to be a Nazarite. Being a Nazarite was a mark of dedication to God and His commandments. Most of the time, being a Nazarite was a personal choice. Yes, there were some whom God called to be Nazarites, but on the whole it was a volunteer position. Those who volunteered would commit a time that they would give to God to serve Him in whatever capacity they separated themselves. This vow of a Nazarite was really a commitment to serve.
Today, the vow of the Nazarite is no longer available, but the principle of committing to serve God is still available. Every Christian should be committed to serve God. You will never be successful in serving the LORD unless you decide to commit to serve Him. I find in the laws of the Nazarite that the requirements given are what it takes to be committed to serve the LORD today.
First, you must declare to all that you are committed to serve the LORD. The Nazarite did not make a private commitment to perform their vow, but it was a very public commitment to serve Him. You will never be successful in serving the LORD until you make it public that you are committed to serving Him. I would suggest that during the invitation of the church you make it public to all that you are committing to serve the LORD. This puts your commitment on notice to everyone creating a positive pressure for your success.
Second, you must separate yourself from those things that will keep you from fulfilling your commitment. You can see that the Nazarite was to separate himself unto the LORD. That means he or she had to leave something to go to God. Sometimes you have to separate from things that are not bad, but they will hold you back from being successful in serving the LORD. We often think that we must separate from bad things to be successful in serving the LORD, and that is true; but, sometimes you have to separate from those things that hinder you from successfully serving the LORD. Yes, this takes commitment, but you must identify the things that are holding you back and separate from them.
Third, your life must be different from others if you are going to be committed to serving the LORD. Your dress will be different. Not strange, but decent and different from the world. Your conversations must be different. Your interests will have to be different. You will never be successful in serving the LORD if you are trying to identify with the world and look trendy.
Fourth, you must give a commitment of time if you are going to be successful in serving the LORD. The Nazarite had to specify a timeframe to serve the LORD. You will never succeed with your commitment to serve if you don’t commit certain times to serve Him. For instance, you should have a committed time to read the Scriptures, pray, soul win and serve Him. These are just some time elements that are important to serving the LORD. It always takes time to succeed in serving the LORD. Yes, that time could be given to other things that are not bad, but you must separate time to be successful in your commitment to serve.
Are you committed to serve? There are some things in your life right now that you are going to have to do away with if you are going to succeed in serving the LORD. Those things may not be bad, but they will hold you back. Search your life today and find those things that hinder you from your commitment to serve the LORD, then get rid of them so you can serve the Him to your fullest.