Daily Devotionals

Are We There Yet? Week 3 Thursday

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 2 Corinthians 6:14

I am not much of a list maker, but I am learning the importance of understanding what I need and what I am looking for. It gives me clarity. It keeps me from being distracted. It helps me focus on my goals. Maybe you can relate. The helpful thing about lists is that they remind us what we are looking for so that we do not forget. This is vital. Knowing what we are looking for is vital. This is particularly important for us to teach the children in our lives as they navigate the question, “who will I spend my life with?”

When considering who we will spend our lives with and helping our children consider the same question, the most important thing to look for is someone who is a fully devoted follower of Christ. The apostle Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 6, “Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?” (verse 14). The unspoken answer to the two questions Paul asks in this verse is, “righteousness cannot partner with wickedness and light cannot live with darkness.” You see, a thriving, Godly marriage is grounded by two fully devoted people to Christ. For those who are single, finding someone fully dedicated to Christ is to be our main focus over all else. If you are married and your spouse is not currently following Christ, this is not to create guilt. It is a call to pray! Pray for your spouse and for God to continue working in their life. If both you and your spouse have thriving relationships with God, then it is a call to pray and ask God to continue to work in your lives individually and together so that you can honor Him by the lives you lead.

You and I must not only look for someone who is dedicated to Christ; we must also teach our children the importance of finding someone who loves God with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. Knowing exactly who we are looking for will help the children in our lives make intentional decisions with who they date and who they eventually marry. It will help them be wise as they navigate the waters of deciding who they will spend their lives with. 

Make no mistake, choosing who to spend the rest of your life with is an important decision that must not be taken lightly. We must help the children in our lives understand this as well. We have to make this decision carefully and seriously. When we do, God’s light shines through in a dark world in need of His light.

Moving Toward Action

As followers of Christ, we must make every effort to teach the children in our lives to carefully consider who they are looking for to spend the rest of their lives with. Take time this week to talk to the children in your lives about thinking about what kind of person they are looking for in a dating and eventually marriage relationship. Don’t forget to do this for yourself as well! If you are single, who are you looking for to spend the rest of your life with? Take time thinking about these characteristics and aspects of what you are looking for.

Going Deeper

Read 2 Corinthians 6:1-18 (NLT)

As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them
    and walk among them.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
    and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
    and I will welcome you.
And I will be your Father,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,
    says the Lord Almighty.”