FAST FOOD FOWL

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 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. 17 Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. 18 I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Last June, a rooster was found strutting inside a Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Bluffton, South Carolina. Employees of the fast-food establishment have no idea how the fowl entered the eatery. They found it funny, however, that "Little Truett" would pick a place that sells chicken!

A firefighter told manager Brett Swanson that he had seen the rooster crossing a highway near the Chick-Fil-A the day before. (Hey! Now we know why the chicken crossed the road! Sorry . . . )

The tale of Little Truett is humorous. But, in reality, we may be imitating the fowl. Not that we've recently been seen strutting around startled patrons at a local restaurant. But we may have spent time inside a place known for destroying people--the house of compromise.

It starts out so simply. We look inside the "house" and it seems so inviting. We crack open the door just a bit (picture Little Truett) and suddenly--wham!--we're inside. We've compromised our morals . . . our beliefs.
How do we avoid this trap?

Paul gave us some interesting contrasts to help us better understand spiritual compromise in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15.

* Righteousness vs. Wickedness Any relationship, temporary or permanent, that causes us to take our eyes off Jesus and His righteousness must be avoided.

* Light vs. Darkness If we compromise, we are allowing the light of God to be dimmed by the world's darkness.

* Christ vs. Belial (Satan) By compromising and entering into close ties with unbelievers, we face a dilemma. We serve Jesus. They do not. The values, standards, and goals that we live for are not theirs. Witness to them? Yes. Reach out in love? Absolutely. But do not get "yoked together" (v.14).

We need to keep the door of compromise closed. Consider these words: "We are the temple of the living God" (v.16). In every relationship, measure those words against where the other person is taking you.

The journey with Jesus requires no compromise. --Tom Felten

DESTINATION POINTS

* What personal relationships are leading me to compromise?
* Why is it important to know that I am a "temple of the living God"?

LINKS:
Chick-Fil-A
http://www.chickfila.com/History.asp
Judas: Son Of Darkness
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0721

bottom line: Losing sight of Jesus leads to compromise.

soul journey