Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle. Moses wasn’t able to enter into the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud stayed on it, and Yahweh’s glory filled the tabernacle. When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward, throughout all their journeys; but if the cloud wasn’t taken up, then they didn’t travel until the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of Yahweh was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.”
(Exodus 40:34-38)

“Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what portion does a believer have with an unbeliever? What agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they will be my people.” Therefore “‘Come out from among them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you. I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”“
(2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

The tabernacle and the clothing of the priests was different than regular material. They were made from the richest things and were made ornately. They set them apart as different. That would have been enough. But God is a God of MORE than enough. He set His glory over the tabernacle. A cloud of smoke during the day, and a cloud wreathed in fire by night. It went before them. It settled over the tabernacle. It was a visible impossible to ignore spectacle that proved beyond ANY doubts that God sought to live with His people.

We too are meant to be apart. Set apart by our love for one another. Set apart by our attitudes, words, and actions. Salt. Light. DIFFERENT. A visible sign that God STILL wants to live with His people – those believers in Jesus who He inhabits (Jew and Gentile). If we are set apart and DIFFERENT, why would we seek to settle in and mix with the ordinary? Why would we want to live like them? React like them? Why not take advantage of our different-ness, of the TRUTH that God seeks to dwell in us as a cooperative partner in everything we do?

Summary

The walk of the believer in God is not compatible with the walk of the unbelievers in God. It’s not that we are diametrically opposed as human beings, it is that our language is completely different. Our goals are completely different. And our methodology is completely different. We are righteous because we rest in Jesus and HE is righteous. We are godly in word, thought, and action as we renew our thinking to God’s point of view. We are selfless servants of Most High God. We look to HIM as Source for everything. We don’t rely on ourselves, but give ourselves up so that we can rely on Jesus. We are IN the world, but we are not CITIZENS of the world. Their ways are not our ways. We can stand beside them, encourage them, bless them, and be an example to them. But we are led, guided, corrected, and provided for by God and God alone.