"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do
righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can
light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are
the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them
and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my
people.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16 NIV)
Even though
most people have used this passage of scripture in reference to those
considering marriage, it actually goes much deeper than that. We are
warned not to be yoked (associated) to those who do not believe as we
believe--as it pertains to our relationship with Jesus Christ. Why?
Inevitably, if we leave our minds exposed to the influences of unbelief,
our own belief starts to dwindle and fall apart and we're left out of
God's favor. If we truly are the children of God, then we should never say anything that contradicts what our Father says.
Check
out your associates belief systems and if they don't agree with God,
think about making new associations, ones that don't contradict God or
veer you from saying what God says--about anything and everything. There
are some who believe they have God's stamp of approval even though they
are not saying what God says or doing things God's way and when they
stand before Him, they will receive their just reward. So, will we all.
Solomon--the
wisest man on earth--was warned not to get involved with women who
worship idols, but he allowed his fleshly desires for many of them to
lead him astray. As a result, his disobedience brought him to a place of
being out of the will of God.
Now, let's
think about how some of the people with whom we may have had an
association with that led us astray or still do. The old adage stating
birds of a feather flock together is usually true. That it--those who
think alike are usually identified by their associations with others.
Thieves, gangs, and murderers consider themselves to be an association
with its own rules. Those who don't believe in God (Jesus Christ)--call
themselves atheists. Those who believe, invariably call themselves
Christians, or something synonymous to identify with their belief--which
is why we have so many variations or groups of people who
believe--similarly.
When we see discord or
disagreement within the ranks of any group, there is usually a
separation since they no longer hold the same beliefs. This is true of
different sects in the Muslim world as well as those in Christianity. In
order to believe as those in any group, there must be shared tenets of
belief.
I've discovered that within the "Christian" realm of
belief, not all who profess to be followers of Christ believe the same
things. What is most amazing to me is that not all believe God's
Word, yet they say they believe Him. I know their beliefs are
contradictory when I look at what they do and listen to what they say. No one in a right relationship with God can ever truthfully say, God didn't mean what He said or He didn't say what He meant.
It is these "false" Christians who encourage living in opposition to
God's Word and promote a religion of conformity to the world, when we
are told in God's Word, not to be conform to the "world's" view, but to
be transformed by the renewing of our minds--according to The Word and
guidance of Holy Spirit.
If we
hang out or hook up with those promoting a false Christianity long
enough, we'll succumb to their way of thinking and end up moving out of
God's favor. I don't know about you, but I love walking in His
favor and will not allow anyone else to entice me from His love and the
path He's set me upon for my success.
No comments:
Post a Comment