April 09, 2013
"You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together." II Corinthians 6:14
Join—this is talking about more than marriage even though that is the most obvious and perhaps the most critical one not to violate. Join also means partnering in business, close friendships, etc. "You are not the same as those who do not believe." At least you shouldn't be. If you are the same then a much deeper problem exists. Good and bad—don't belong together. Light and darkness—don't mix. We are all a work in progress, but there should be (and must be) a difference between those who say they believe and those who don't believe. The difference cannot be in just what our tongues say. It must also be in the way we live. Our bodies are the temple of Christ, and we must live as if we believe that to be true.
We would have never... NEVER... NEVER!! joined with my sister and brother-in-law in a joint business project if we had know the truth about them. NEVER! We can verify this teaching from painful personal experience: good and bad do not belong together. It won't work. You (our family) have witnessed what happened when we refused to compromise our standards. You (our family) have witnessed the depths they have gone to further their agendas for ill-gotten gain. It has been ugly, very ugly, and we've all been subjected to their anger and pursuit of revenge in "the storm." We didn't knowingly walk into this "joining" of opposites, but some people do, and there is a price that is paid. Don't ever willingly and stubbornly disobey God's standards. If you ignore God's standards you are inviting discord, hurt, sorrow, tension, regret, and trials into your life.
There is a kind of sorrow God wants. It is a sorrow that causes people to change their hearts and lives. II Corinthians 7:10 - "This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that." When facing difficulties don't try to pray them away! Learn from them!! What does God want to teach me? Is there anything I am doing that He wants me to stop? Is there anything I'm not doing that I should be doing? Use the sorrow and/or difficulty to propel you towards God. Do whatever it takes, Lord, to draw _____ (insert name) to you. Do whatever it takes, Lord, to draw me closer to you! That kind of sorrow leads to salvation, and you can't be sorry about that!!
Scofield (in Jane's (Her Name Was Jane) KJV) describes separation as being twofold. 1) From—whatever is contrary to the mind of God; and 2) Unto—drawing closer to God. It is impossible for God to bless or use His children who compromise with, or are in complicity with, evil. Impossible. Who would want to willingly remove God's full blessings?
The one way to separate ourselves TO God is to separate ourselves FROM whatever goes against HIS Word and heart.
Next Entry: II Corinthians 8:1 – 9:15
"You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together." II Corinthians 6:14
Join—this is talking about more than marriage even though that is the most obvious and perhaps the most critical one not to violate. Join also means partnering in business, close friendships, etc. "You are not the same as those who do not believe." At least you shouldn't be. If you are the same then a much deeper problem exists. Good and bad—don't belong together. Light and darkness—don't mix. We are all a work in progress, but there should be (and must be) a difference between those who say they believe and those who don't believe. The difference cannot be in just what our tongues say. It must also be in the way we live. Our bodies are the temple of Christ, and we must live as if we believe that to be true.
We would have never... NEVER... NEVER!! joined with my sister and brother-in-law in a joint business project if we had know the truth about them. NEVER! We can verify this teaching from painful personal experience: good and bad do not belong together. It won't work. You (our family) have witnessed what happened when we refused to compromise our standards. You (our family) have witnessed the depths they have gone to further their agendas for ill-gotten gain. It has been ugly, very ugly, and we've all been subjected to their anger and pursuit of revenge in "the storm." We didn't knowingly walk into this "joining" of opposites, but some people do, and there is a price that is paid. Don't ever willingly and stubbornly disobey God's standards. If you ignore God's standards you are inviting discord, hurt, sorrow, tension, regret, and trials into your life.
There is a kind of sorrow God wants. It is a sorrow that causes people to change their hearts and lives. II Corinthians 7:10 - "This leads to salvation, and you cannot be sorry for that." When facing difficulties don't try to pray them away! Learn from them!! What does God want to teach me? Is there anything I am doing that He wants me to stop? Is there anything I'm not doing that I should be doing? Use the sorrow and/or difficulty to propel you towards God. Do whatever it takes, Lord, to draw _____ (insert name) to you. Do whatever it takes, Lord, to draw me closer to you! That kind of sorrow leads to salvation, and you can't be sorry about that!!
Scofield (in Jane's (Her Name Was Jane) KJV) describes separation as being twofold. 1) From—whatever is contrary to the mind of God; and 2) Unto—drawing closer to God. It is impossible for God to bless or use His children who compromise with, or are in complicity with, evil. Impossible. Who would want to willingly remove God's full blessings?
The one way to separate ourselves TO God is to separate ourselves FROM whatever goes against HIS Word and heart.
Next Entry: II Corinthians 8:1 – 9:15
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