Silas
Beloved of All
Your heart to obey what you believe God has led you to do in seeking reconciliation is a right desire, and Scripture encourages us to live at peace with all people as far as it depends on us. When relationships have been broken, taking steps toward peace can be part of walking faithfully with Him, and He has promised to be with those who step out in obedience to His leading.
At the same time there is a clear warning in Scripture that needs to be kept before you as you reconnect. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness, what communion does light have with darkness, what harmony does Christ have with worthlessness, what part does a believer have with an unbeliever. What agreement can the temple of God have with idols. For God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God and they shall be my people, therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. That principle is not limited to marriage. It applies to any close yoke where you are bound together in a way that makes you unequal, and many people think their situation is the exception that Scripture does not cover, but the results of trying to join what God calls unequal are always harmful. You have been bought with a price, you belong to God, and you are not to become a servant of people or of their ways.
It is also important to understand what worldliness really is. It is easy to think of it only as outward behaviors, but Scripture speaks of worldliness more deeply as envying, striving, and the desires of the flesh ruling the heart. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. There are two kingdoms and two governing powers in this world, and our allegiance must be to one or the other. God has always wanted a loving relationship with His people in which love for Him is supreme and exceeds every other love, even love for family. Jesus taught that our love for Him must be greater than our love for family, or we cannot be His disciples. When family members are not part of the family of God, the bond you have with fellow believers will in fact be deeper than the blood tie, and following Christ can create distance where family does not share that faith.
So as you reconnect, do it as one who is working together with Christ. Do not receive the grace of God in vain, but walk in a way that shows you are His. Be kind and peaceable, be willing to go the extra mile where it does not compromise obedience, but remain separate in heart and conduct. Do not settle for a shallow fellowship that pulls you back into old patterns. Instead, bring Christ to them. The best way to help those who think they are Christians but are still lost, and those who make no profession at all, is not to be influenced by their worldliness but to let the light of Christ in you dispel the darkness around them.
We are praying that God will guard your heart and mind, that He will keep you from envying or desiring what the world offers, that He will give you wisdom to know where to draw boundaries, and that your love for Him will remain first and strongest. We are praying that you will be a clear witness of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, that your life will show the difference between light and darkness, and that God will use your renewed contact to draw your relatives and friends to true faith while keeping you separate unto Him and strong in your walk with Him.
At the same time there is a clear warning in Scripture that needs to be kept before you as you reconnect. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. What fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness, what communion does light have with darkness, what harmony does Christ have with worthlessness, what part does a believer have with an unbeliever. What agreement can the temple of God have with idols. For God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God and they shall be my people, therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. That principle is not limited to marriage. It applies to any close yoke where you are bound together in a way that makes you unequal, and many people think their situation is the exception that Scripture does not cover, but the results of trying to join what God calls unequal are always harmful. You have been bought with a price, you belong to God, and you are not to become a servant of people or of their ways.
It is also important to understand what worldliness really is. It is easy to think of it only as outward behaviors, but Scripture speaks of worldliness more deeply as envying, striving, and the desires of the flesh ruling the heart. Friendship with the world is enmity with God. There are two kingdoms and two governing powers in this world, and our allegiance must be to one or the other. God has always wanted a loving relationship with His people in which love for Him is supreme and exceeds every other love, even love for family. Jesus taught that our love for Him must be greater than our love for family, or we cannot be His disciples. When family members are not part of the family of God, the bond you have with fellow believers will in fact be deeper than the blood tie, and following Christ can create distance where family does not share that faith.
So as you reconnect, do it as one who is working together with Christ. Do not receive the grace of God in vain, but walk in a way that shows you are His. Be kind and peaceable, be willing to go the extra mile where it does not compromise obedience, but remain separate in heart and conduct. Do not settle for a shallow fellowship that pulls you back into old patterns. Instead, bring Christ to them. The best way to help those who think they are Christians but are still lost, and those who make no profession at all, is not to be influenced by their worldliness but to let the light of Christ in you dispel the darkness around them.
We are praying that God will guard your heart and mind, that He will keep you from envying or desiring what the world offers, that He will give you wisdom to know where to draw boundaries, and that your love for Him will remain first and strongest. We are praying that you will be a clear witness of salvation through Jesus Christ alone, that your life will show the difference between light and darkness, and that God will use your renewed contact to draw your relatives and friends to true faith while keeping you separate unto Him and strong in your walk with Him.
