This week’s sermon devotionals have been on point! The Winning Formula!! Are you like me and found this all to be so relevant, so needed, so simple, and yet so hard to involve God in the details of our lives, circumstances, and crises? The title of today’s devotion, “Do Not Get Contaminated” is another key element to a winning formula.
It’s hard to believe that ten years ago we became ever so aware of the consequences of contamination through the Flint Water Crisis which topped the headlines for years after Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money. We learned that the Flint River water was corrosive and leached lead and other contaminants into the city's water supply. Tens of thousands of Flint residents were exposed to dangerous levels of lead, which can affect the heart, kidneys, and nerves. Children were particularly affected, with health effects including impaired cognition, behavioral disorders, hearing problems, and delayed puberty. The water switch also led to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
Paul had a stern message for those in Corinth reminding them not to get contaminated.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18: “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 Belial? Or 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. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”.
A yoke is not a term that I use often and in case you’re wondering, a yoke is not the same as the yolk of an egg. A yoke is a wooden beam or crosspiece that joins two oxen to each other to help lighten the load that they pull. When an “unequally yoked” team has one stronger ox and one weaker, or one taller and one shorter, the weaker or shorter ox would walk more slowly than the taller, stronger one, causing the load to go around in circles and not get the task completed. Simply put, when oxen are unequally yoked, they are unable to work in unity. The same goes for the Christian life. Paul discouraged the Corinthians from being in unequal partnerships with unbelievers, because believers and unbelievers are opposites and will only cause us to go around in circles. The “unequal yoke” is often applied to marriage or business relationships. For a Christian to enter a partnership with an unbeliever is to court disaster. Unbelievers have opposite worldviews and morals, and business decisions made daily will reflect the worldview of one partner or the other. The contamination has ripple effects that leach into the Kingdom of God. Do not get contaminated!
The Living on Purpose Podcast with Pastor John Scally and Sam Kraut is such a great resource. You can find it in the media section on our website and app or on Spotify. It airs every Thursday and there is an extensive library of available topics to listen to. Check out episode 46 dated September 26, 2024 titled “What Does It Mean To Be ‘Unequally Yoked’?” to glean even more on this important element of a winning formula.
It’s hard to believe that ten years ago we became ever so aware of the consequences of contamination through the Flint Water Crisis which topped the headlines for years after Flint switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River to save money. We learned that the Flint River water was corrosive and leached lead and other contaminants into the city's water supply. Tens of thousands of Flint residents were exposed to dangerous levels of lead, which can affect the heart, kidneys, and nerves. Children were particularly affected, with health effects including impaired cognition, behavioral disorders, hearing problems, and delayed puberty. The water switch also led to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
Paul had a stern message for those in Corinth reminding them not to get contaminated.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18: “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 Belial? Or 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. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty”.
A yoke is not a term that I use often and in case you’re wondering, a yoke is not the same as the yolk of an egg. A yoke is a wooden beam or crosspiece that joins two oxen to each other to help lighten the load that they pull. When an “unequally yoked” team has one stronger ox and one weaker, or one taller and one shorter, the weaker or shorter ox would walk more slowly than the taller, stronger one, causing the load to go around in circles and not get the task completed. Simply put, when oxen are unequally yoked, they are unable to work in unity. The same goes for the Christian life. Paul discouraged the Corinthians from being in unequal partnerships with unbelievers, because believers and unbelievers are opposites and will only cause us to go around in circles. The “unequal yoke” is often applied to marriage or business relationships. For a Christian to enter a partnership with an unbeliever is to court disaster. Unbelievers have opposite worldviews and morals, and business decisions made daily will reflect the worldview of one partner or the other. The contamination has ripple effects that leach into the Kingdom of God. Do not get contaminated!
The Living on Purpose Podcast with Pastor John Scally and Sam Kraut is such a great resource. You can find it in the media section on our website and app or on Spotify. It airs every Thursday and there is an extensive library of available topics to listen to. Check out episode 46 dated September 26, 2024 titled “What Does It Mean To Be ‘Unequally Yoked’?” to glean even more on this important element of a winning formula.