Acts 18:18 (NKJV) So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.

When it says that Paul had his hair cut because he had taken a vow, it is most definitely referring to a Nazirite vow. The vow of the Nazirite was a vow taken for a certain period of time, during which the hair was allowed to grow. At the completion of the vow, the hair was cut off and offered to the Lord in a special ceremony at the Temple in Jerusalem. The vow was made out of a desire to be set apart and draw nearer to God. The word, Nazirite is from the root word Nazir which means “to separate” or to “distinguish.” Considering the sentiment behind this vow, we may make a couple of inferences regarding three types of Christians that are seen in the church today.

First, there is the Christian in name only … This is the person who attends church and calls themselves a Christian because it’s what they’ve always done, but there is little evidence to suggest a real relationship with Christ. Many like this will hear Jesus say, “away from Me, I never knew you.”

Second, there is the Luke Warm Christian … The person who is only concerned about the minimum expectations of a Christian, who is not growing, nor do they desire to grow in their relationship with God. This is the kind of Christian that Jesus said in Revelation 3 He detests.

Third, there is the on fire Christian … one who is burnt up with zeal for the Lord, desires to press in and seeks to live righteously before the Lord, glorifying Him. This Christian works hard and serves the Lord enthusiastically.

These “on fire” Christians are not the “Special Forces” of Christianity. Instead, I think this is what the typical Christian should be. There are no “elites” among Christians, just as the Nazirites were not in any way “elite.” They were common people who, desiring to draw nearer to God, willingly took a path of separation to live only and constantly for the glory of God.

Why had Paul taken a Nazirite Vow? Well, I believe it had to do with where he was. Corinth was a place of great moral decay, with a proliferation of wicked acts like prostitution. In fact, Corinth was so bad that “Corinthian” became a derogatory term. So, it may have been that Paul, among the worldliness, wickedness and excess of Corinth, took this vow to express his dedication to God, and as a reminder to himself of his dedication to God.

In like manner, Christians are in this world, but are not to be conformed to this world. If we are to glorify and serve the Lord in the midst of the world and all it’s wickedness and excess, then we would do well to set up reminders for ourselves. That may be Bible verses taped to the mirror to see in the morning as we get ready for work. It may be worship music playing on our car stereos or iPods are perhaps teachings or podcasts. I think memorized scripture (scripture stored away in our hearts) will be used by the Holy Spirit as reminders to keep us from trouble. Other things might be devotional emails such as this one, personal Bible study, prayer time, as well as many other ways, some of them obvious, and others perhaps requiring a bit of creativity. What reminders have you established in your life to remind you to live only and constantly for the glory of God?