I first heard the term, “unequally yoked” when I joined a Southern Baptist Church post-college. We were reading in 2 Corinthians 6:14: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
During St. Paul’s time, he was warning his church not to hang around with pagans and to worship pagan gods. My small circle of single friends interpreted that to mean that we weren’t supposed to consider marrying someone who wasn’t a churchgoer or didn’t read their Bible. There was to be some guarantee of a successful marriage if you were both on “the same page.”
I still believe that to be true, but I’ve altered my interpretation of “being unequally yoked.” It isn’t just the aspect of going through the motions of being a Christian by attending church or even reading a Bible, but it is how we live our life.
I’ve known professing “Christians” who are constant complainers and who are always putting others down. A quick check of FACEBOOK reveals lots of “Christians” who aren’t very loving, demonstrated by their acrimonious posts and boasts of superiority. It has taken me a long time to realize how easy it is to be deceived by them.
Rather than read their words, I guard my heart until I get to know someone by their actions. Are they always trying to impress? Do they brag about themselves all the time? Do they put others down? Do they see my relationship with God as competition in our relationship?
Particularly in courtship it’s important to guard our hearts. There is nothing sadder than to find out that you are unequally yoked to a person who has already captured your heart.
Blessings, my friend,
Agatha
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