“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 [Satan]? 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.” (II Corinthians 6:14-16)

Thoughts… I think this is one of Christianity’s most difficult teachings. Not because we don’t understand it—Paul’s meaning is pretty obvious. I think this is a hard teaching because of how challenging it is to actually live it out in the practicality of our everyday lives. After all, though we are not of the world, we are certainly in it. Unless we are going to live in a commune, we have to live next to unbelievers, work for unbelievers, go to school we unbelievers, buy, sell or trade among unbelievers.

So how do we keep separate from them when we can’t keep totally separate from them? The answer:

Very carefully!

We need to be very cautious and alert when entering into any kind of close and ongoing relationship with an unbeliever where influence is exchanged on a fundamental level. We need to be very realistic about the influence factor. So many Christians believe that they will be able to influence an unbeliever to faith in these kinds of relationships, but sadly, far too often the exact opposite is the outcome.

That’s why a Christian young person should not get into a serious dating relationship with an unbeliever. I’d go so far as to say they shouldn’t date one at all. For sure, a believer should never marry an unbeliever! Christian college students ought to think twice about where they live—the Greek life has swallowed many a Christian young person; Christian business people ought to be extremely reluctant about a business partnership with anybody other than a believer; Christian people should be very cautious about social circles that don’t have Christ as the common bond.

Obviously, that is very challenging to pull off in this day macro and micro globalization. And you may find that what I am suggesting seems unfair, exclusive and judgmental and intolerant. I agree! It does seem that way—but it’s God’s Word, not mine.

In some ways, God’s Word calls us to be narrow-minded, for our own good. Being “narrow” is now one of the worst cultural sins that you can be accused of in America these days, but narrow just might save your life and preserve your destiny. Narrow isn’t always bad. A runway is narrow, too, but it’s the only way to get an airplane safely to its destination. That narrow-mindedness you find in God’s Word will get you safely to heaven some day, so pay attention to it!

I don’t have all the answers to the questions Paul’s teaching may leave you with. I can’t tell you exactly how you should apply this to each of your relationships, but I do hope you will give some serious thought to what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to say.

Prayer… Father, the people of faith we read about in your Word and in Christian history always felt like strangers and pilgrims on this planet. People of faith have always considered themselves to just be passing through, headed for a better home. They refused to get too earthbound. They lived with their bags packed, ready to go at a moment’s notice. My generation has lost that sojourner’s sense. I pray that through a fresh baptism of your grace, your distinguishing power would separate me so that even though I am in the world, I am not of it.

One More Thing… “I can tell you plainly, if you are at home in the world; if the things of time and sense are your element; if you feel one with the company of the world, the maxims of the world, the fashions of the world, the principles of the world, grace has not reached your heart—the faith of God’s elect does not dwell in your bosom.” —J.C. Philpot

“We have patiently endured troubles, hardships, and difficulties. We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food…We are honored and disgraced; we are insulted and praised. We are treated as liars, yet we speak the truth; as unknown, yet we are known by all; as though we were dead, but, as you see, we live on. Although punished, we are not killed; although saddened, we are always glad; we seem poor, but we make many people rich; we seem to have nothing, yet we really possess everything.” (II Corinthians 6:4-10)

Thoughts… Suffering is relative. What you find discomforting I might find a piece of cake. What I whine about you might think is a walk in the park. But one thing is for certain: The challenges we go through because of our faith are nothing compared to what the Apostle Paul endured because of his.

Just reading through Paul’s list of experiences puts most of us modern day American Christians to shame. We complain when it is too hot in the church sanctuary. We would call it suffering if the sermon goes too long or the music is too loud. Our idea of persecution is if the doughnuts don’t show up on time in time for pre-service fellowship. We’re really kind of whimpy, aren’t we?

The first century Christians paid a real price to follow Jesus. So do a great percentage of believers around the world today. What Paul wrote about nearly two thousand years ago is happening today each and every day in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and Russia. What Paul described is what these believers would say is just an ordinary day of following Jesus.

I recently spent several days in an orphanage in Africa. It is in what is perhaps the poorest nation on the planet, meaning that the children in this home are the poorest of the poor. Their parents have died from HIV-Aids or other diseases, or perhaps from starvation and malnutrition. These children were left to fend for themselves at ages as young as three or four. No one wants them, or can afford them even if they were wanted.

But now they have a hope and a future because of the good graces of the ministry that runs the orphanage. One the most moving experiences for me at the orphanage was listening to a choir of thirty or so of these boys. When they sang, joy oozed from their souls. When they sang about Jesus, and salvation, and heaven, you could tell from their faces that it meant a lot more to them than it does to me when I sing of those very things. What they were wearing was about the only earthly thing they possessed, yet I could tell that in truth, they were far richer than I, and most of the people here in America that I know. To paraphrase Paul, “they were sad, yet so very glad; poor, yet so very rich; they had nothing, yet they really possessed everything.”

When you meet believers who live under these kinds of harsh condition day in and day out, you realize that they have made one of faith’s greatest discoveries: When Jesus is all you really have, there you find that Jesus is all you really need.

We here in this land of plenty seem incapable of grasping that. I wouldn’t wish harsh conditions on anyone, but I do wish we would come to truly understand that when we have Jesus, we have everything we need. If we can grasp that, then bad, no matter how bad bad is, ain’t really so bad.

Prayer… Father, I am so grateful for the many blessings you have poured out in my life. Keep me from loving these gifts more than the Giver of the gifts. And keep me sensitive to my brothers and sisters around the world who go without and who suffer day in and day out for following you. Be near to them, O Lord, and grant them the incomparable joy of knowing that their lives and eternities are in your hand.

One More Thing… “You will never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:21)

Thoughts… What an amazing exchange that took place when Jesus hung on the cross as the sacrifice for sin!

Jesus became sin so that I could become saved.

Jesus was rejected and I was embraced.

Jesus received God’s wrath and I received God’s righteousness.

Jesus got what he didn’t deserve and I got what I didn’t deserve.

Jesus didn’t get what he deserved and I didn’t get what I deserved.

Jesus went through hell so that I could go to heaven.

Jesus endured hatred and I was showered with love.

Jesus died so that I could live.

Redemption is such a lopsided transaction, but such is the love of God. I got the far better deal in this exchange, and for that I will never cease to be grateful.

Prayer… Lord Jesus, all I can say in response is “thank you!” And all I can do to pay you back is to offer the rest of my life as one big thank you! And that I gladly do.

One More Thing… “At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match.” —John W. Wenham

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (II Corinthians 4:16-18)

Thoughts… One of Satan’s chief tools is to discourage us by making our lives difficult. Through trying times, the Enemy tempts us to doubt God’s goodness and sufficiency. When we are hurting, it is not uncommon for us to wonder if God really loves us at all. And unfortunately, as we have all witnessed, discouragement has led some to even abandon their trust in God.

Since discouragement is common to all believers, has God provided a way to break free from its powerful currents? How do you pull out of the whirlpool of doubt? Paul gives the key in these verses. He says it is to live with what I would call an eternal perspective.

You have to develop an eternal perspective. You have to exercise the spiritual discipline of seeing life through God’s eyes, of filtering everything through the lens of Scripture. The only real answer to discouragement and doubt is penetrate the fog of present circumstances by focusing your spiritual vision clearly and steadfastly into the character and promises of your covenantally faithful God.

God has promised that your troubles here in this world are only momentary. Furthermore, they are not only ephemeral, they are purposeful—they are achieving in you something eternal. And in the light of eternity, your troubles now are nothing compared to your glory then. Your present troubles are the raw material for future glory. Therefore, Paul says, fix your gaze on the glory.

Now I don’t mean to minimize the pain that we often have to endure in this life. It is never fun, and I wouldn’t wish pain on you or me for all the tea in China, even knowing the eternal glory that it achieves. Yet Paul’s advice remains the same: Keep your eye on the prize, because if you endure, glory awaits. Just remember, what Satan means for harm, God uses for good.

In fact, let’s not forget that God uses problems and pain in our lives to do some of his best work, not just for the life to come, but for the here and now. James 1:2-4 says,

“Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

In your light and momentary afflictions, God is producing good for now and glory for later! That truth reminds me of a story I came across several years ago of a silversmith describing the process he uses to refine silver. The silversmith said,

“To refine the silver, I sit with my eyes steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured. I never take my eye off of the silver in the furnace. I don’t want to take it out too early, because if I take it out too early, it won’t be purified. But I don’t want to leave it in too long, because if I leave it in too long, it will be injured. When the silver is in the fire, I focus. I don’t let anything distract me. I let nothing take my focus off the silver. I watch the silver carefully, waiting for the right moment to take it out.”

The silversmith was asked, “How do you know when it is the right moment?”

And he said, “I know the silver is pure when I can see my face reflected in it.”

In the Old Testament book of Malachi, God describes himself as a refiner and purifier of silver. What a comforting picture of God, the great Silversmith and you, the silver. You are never left in the Refiner’s fire too long, or taken out too soon, but are always under the watchful eye of the One who fully understands the refining process. And when, as a result of the fire, your life reflects the image of Christ, you will be ready—purified like pure silver.

If you are going through one of those “light and momentary afflictions”, hang in there! You are going to really shine when this is all said and done. You are going to gain some glory, mainly the glory of looking more like Jesus. So keep your eye on the prize…and don’t forget, God is keeping a watchful and loving eye on you.

Prayer… Father, it is an awesome thing to be under your watchful care. No matter what I am going through, you are there, bringing good out of bad and producing a glory shine in me that will never fade throughout all eternity. Help me to maintain that eternal perspective no matter what. Help me to keep my eye on the prize. Help me to remember at all times that the pain is nothing compared to the gain of knowing you and being the object of your eternal love.

One More Thing… “We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.” —Henry Beecher Ward

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (II Corinthians 4:4)

Thoughts… Why can’t people see what you see? Why can’t they look at a newborn baby or the majestic Rocky Mountains, or the Milky Way Galaxy on a clear starry night and bow their knee in worship to the awesome Creator who spoke these wonders into existence? Why don’t they understand that the moral law, which has guided the civilized world for millennia, is simply God’s loving roadmap back to himself, and to a life of blessing and prosperity? Why don’t they get that this amazing, miraculous, book we call the Bible is God’s irrefutable, authentic, inspired Word? Why do they have such a hard time accepting Jesus Christ as the truth, the life and the only way to the Father?

The answer is simple: The god of this world has blinded their minds.

What else would explain this can’t-miss deal they’re passing up? The truth of God stares people in the face every day, yet they don’t get it. The intricate wonder of creation shouts of a purposeful, intelligent Designer, yet they choose to believe somehow everything that exists just happened. The inexplicable complexity of human life melt their hearts at the birth of a child, yet that moment passes by without even so much as a, “great job on this one, God, thanks!” The existence of human personality replicated in billions upon billion lives, yet each as different as one snowflake is from another never begs the question, “How did this get here?” The God-shaped vacuum in their inner being never draws them to the God who alone can fill it.

The only reasonable explanation for such stubborn refusal to bow the knee in humble acceptance of a loving God is clear: The god of this age has blinded their minds.

But don’t lose heart! Your mind was once blinded, too. Yet somehow God’s love broke through and melted your heart. Someone said something to you and the light went on. Something happened in your life and suddenly you turned a corner and began to seek God. Some faithful person had been praying for you and at just the right time, the Holy Spirit softened your spirit and the God’s truth began to penetrate it.

So don’t give up on the close-minded people in your life. They might be as spiritually blind as a bat, but the last time I read the story of Jesus, he seemed to specialize in opening blind eyes!

If he opened yours, certainly they won’t be a problem! So keep praying, keep sharing, keep living out the truth, keep on being salt and light, and one of these days, maybe even today, God’s love and grace will break through and bring them to the same “aha” moment that turned your life upside down.

Prayer… Dear God, you are the Creator of all, the sovereign ruler of all that exists, and the Lord of my heart. I bow my knee in worship before you. Wonder and gratitude rise as praise from my lips. How blessed I am that you have opened my blind eyes to your love. I will never cease to love you in return.

One More Thing… “A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling ‘darkness’ on the wall of his cell…” —C.S. Lewis

“Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.” (II Corinthians 3:3)

Thoughts… Having a great job or getting into an upper tier college in America these days means having to have an impressive resume along with a list of personal references that will stand up for you and your abilities with letters of recommendation that make you look like a cross between Albert Einstein and Mother Teresa. People want proof that you are who you claim to be and that you can do what you say you can do.

But did you ever think about the fact that you yourself are somebody’s resume? That’s what Paul says. When so many other ministers were bragging about themselves and getting letters of reference sent on their behalf, all Paul had to do was point to the people he was shepherding and say, “Take a look at their lives. They’ll tell you a lot about the depth of my character and the quality of my ministry.”

What was true for Paul is true for your shepherd, or the person who is disciplining you today, or the person who led you to Christ so many years ago. And if that is the case, what does their resume look like? What kind of letter of recommendation do you provide for them? If they were depending on a job based on the spiritual fruit being produced in your life, would they be hired?

Every Christian is a living resume for a spiritual leader. We just cannot escape that fact. We give the ministry under which we are shepherded credibility…or not. But more importantly, every believer is a living resume for our loving Redeemer. May we so live our lives each and every day that others will want to follow Christ because they see the real deal in us.

Prayer... Father, my greatest desire is that I will make the Gospel of Jesus Christ appealing by the fruit in my life. Help me this day, and every day, to be your living letter, drawing people to you by the compelling story told by my life.

One More Thing… “Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested.” —Oswald Chambers

“We are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.” (II Corinthians 2:15-16)

Thoughts… Smell, like all the other senses, is quite interesting really. What may be a pleasing aroma to me may stink to you, to put it bluntly. You may enjoy Aqua Velva; I prefer Burberry Brit. You may enjoy the fragrance of a freshly cut rose, but the smell I enjoy more than anything is fragrance of cedar. Weird, huh! You may find the smell of popcorn cooking in the microwave oven mouthwatering; I can’t stand it. It causes my throat to close up. So if you invite me over to your home for movies, ditch the popcorn and let’s have some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies—which I’m convinced is the modern day manna of the Old Testament.

The Bible reminds us that as Christians, we, too, have a smell. We carry around the fragrance of Christ. We can’t help it; it just naturally exudes from our being—or at least it should. Paul tells us that the fragrance of Christ upon us rises up to God as a sweet scent—he just loves the smelll, and to those who also wear the fragrance, it is an aroma redolent with life.

But to those who have rejected Christ, we stink. I don’t know how to put it more graciously than that. When they smell Christ on us, it reminds them of something bad. It reminds them of the guilt they carry around from being hostile toward God. It reminds them of the way of death upon which the Bible says they are traveling. It reminds them of the foolishness of the cross and the sheer lunacy of salvation by grace apart from works. It reminds them of the boatload of spiritual truth they have rejected.

Because you where aroma of Christ, they may not want to be around you. Don’t let that shock you. In fact, you ought to expect a negative spiritual olfactory reaction from people every once in a while.

But when that happens, just remember, you smell real good to God. So wear that fragrance boldly and proudly—you’re wearing the most expensive perfume in the universe.

Prayer… Father, thank you for bathing me in the aroma of Christ. What a privilege for me to wear his fragrance upon my being. I wear it humbly yet proudly. May it rise up to you again today as a sweet smelling offering, and may it be a fragrance redolent with life to those I am around.

One More Thing… “How was it that, even in the common tasks of an ordinary life, Jesus drew the praise of heaven? At the core of His being, He only did those things which pleased the Father. In everything, He stayed true, heartbeat to heartbeat, with the Father’s desires. Jesus lived for God alone; God was enough for Him. Thus, even in its simplicity and moment-to-moment faithfulness, Christ’s life was an unending fragrance, a perfect offering of incomparable love to God.” —Francis Frangipane