"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? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?" (2Corinthians 6:14)
I was so blessed by Joe's sermon at church yesterday about relationships and dating (part 2!). God commands us not to associate ourselves with unbelievers- in this case I guess we are talking about dating. I used to date a guy for a few years and wrongly believed that if I could make my own spiritual self stronger, then my spiritual fairy dust would rub off onto him and He would be led to Christ eventually. Ohhh boy was I wrong! I remember those days when I would return from a retreat/missions/revival/church/etc. I would feel so filled by the spirit just yearning to share His love and the gospel. But when I came back to my guy, he would listen to me and merely respond with a "that's nice, Rachel- I'm glad you had fun." That shot me down almost immediately. Looking back, I realize now that if your spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend does not know Christ, it is so difficult to share the most important aspect of life: Jesus Christ. As it says in the scripture, "What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?"
That is why my time of being single is my time to grow as much as I can in Christ so that I may ready myself for my future whoever that God sends to me. I used to think that personality trumped all other aspects of what I wanted in my ideal guy- but what really turns me on is a man who has a deep love for Christ. =)
"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her." - Max Lucado
I want to be that kind of woman, and I want a man to be a God-loving, God-fearing man- so that we can always encourage each other and help each other learn and grow spiritually. Because as Joe pointed out in his message, "If there is no spiritual growth (between you and anyone), you are not helping, caring, loving that person whatsoever. The best thing you can offer is the knowledge of Jesus Christ." Let's strive to be that kind of man or woman of God that encourages our friends, our families, our bf/gfs to know Christ more.
