Saturday, March 7, 2015
Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the LORD’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. (Numbers 9:17-18 NLT)
One thing that the Lord has been dealing with me about is this notion of "believers" and "followers." Is there a difference? I think there is.
Many people say that they believe in the God of the Bible. James wrote about this saying, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." (James 2:19) To believe that God is real is fairly common. But what about following?
Followers are committed. They have committed to going where God goes and doing the things that are important to Him. They are never certain of what God is going to do. However, because they are with Him so much, they know how good He is and they trust His ways. Followers experience pain because they are so often pulled away from places that make them comfortable. Yet, they develop a new comfort, a new satisfaction - the presence of God.
The hard question that this passage forces me to answer is this: Are you a believer or a follower?
Think about the following...
Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. In this way, they traveled and camped at the LORD’s command wherever he told them to go. Then they remained in their camp as long as the cloud stayed over the Tabernacle. (Numbers 9:17-18 NLT)
One thing that the Lord has been dealing with me about is this notion of "believers" and "followers." Is there a difference? I think there is.
Many people say that they believe in the God of the Bible. James wrote about this saying, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." (James 2:19) To believe that God is real is fairly common. But what about following?
Followers are committed. They have committed to going where God goes and doing the things that are important to Him. They are never certain of what God is going to do. However, because they are with Him so much, they know how good He is and they trust His ways. Followers experience pain because they are so often pulled away from places that make them comfortable. Yet, they develop a new comfort, a new satisfaction - the presence of God.
The hard question that this passage forces me to answer is this: Are you a believer or a follower?
Think about the following...
- Does it matter to you what God thinks about that job opportunity? Are you following Him there?
- Did the Lord speak to you about that new love interest?
- Does Jesus want you to buy that house or rent the apartment for a little while?
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