October 30
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 20; 2 Timothy 4
Today's Thoughts: Do Not be Unequally Yoked
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? - 2 Corinthinas 6:14
This morning, I was thinking about being “unequally yoked.” (2 Corinthians 6:14) What does that really mean? To what extent does it apply? Like: if you are a doctor, are you not to be in partnership with other doctors? If you are a teacher, are you not to consult with other teachers? If you are a student, are you to not sit in a study group with other students who do not share your convictions, your perspectives, your faith?
Then I was thinking about all the marriages where the two do not agree. It is clear that a believer is not to leave the unbeliever if the unbeliever is willing to stay in the marriage (1 Corinthians 7:12-14), so how do you remain separate or unyoked when your spouse does not share your faith? The Answer: It’s a Spirit-led thing.
We have all heard sermons that have given a black and white/right and wrong message on this passage. I have seen well-intended believers make drastic life-changing decisions because of a Sunday Morning message before seeking the individual counsel of the Lord. Sometimes the Sunday sermon does a disservice to the Spirit-led nature of the Word of God. When a pastor or teacher is sharing, he/she is giving a message that should have touched their heart first. The message is also given for the group as a whole so it will be more generic in nature. As a result, the listener needs to be able to take away what the Spirit of God is saying individually to them, not necessarily with the bent the teacher preached it.
God does not lead us as a group like in Exodus with the moving cloud. He changed the rules and said that now all will know Him (Jeremiah 31:34). I love the freedom of the Word of God and I love how the Spirit moves us at different times with different verses. If the Lord brings to mind the verse “do not be unequally yoked,” it is the believer’s responsibility to say back to the Lord, “What are You impressing on my heart to change? And Lord, please give me the wisdom to know how to apply this change to my life.”
When this verse first came to mind this morning, my mind started jumping to conclusions of all the possibilities the Lord might want me to change. But when I slowed down and asked the Lord those questions today, I realized it was about a social gathering that I am planning to attend. No big changes, no large convictions, just a warning to be wise in my conversations. “Do not yoke in thought with someone because your ears enjoyed hearing the words.”
God is patient and kind. When He tells us to flee and to not be unequally yoked, He will also give us the wisdom to change, move, leave as we trust Him. He will not lead us too quickly or too emotionally or too rashly. The Lord is on an eternal clock and we are called to align with Him, not Him with us.
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