Base Your Relationships On God

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

— Matthew 24:12

The only reason that an abundance of iniquity could cause someone's love for the Lord to grow cold is if that person has not separated themselves from the iniquity of the world. Just as Lot was a righteous man whose soul was vexed day by day by the wickedness around him (2 Pet. 2:8), we too must guard our hearts against the negative influence of the world.

We live in the world, but we are not of it. Maintaining balance is key. While we must interact with people from all walks of life, we must be careful in choosing relationships that bring us closer to God, rather than those that pull us further away. Relationships are powerful, and they can either lift us up or drag us down.

Marriage is a perfect example of this principle. There is no closer union in life than the marriage relationship. A believer who marries an unbeliever is directly violating this scripture. To form a union with someone who does not love the Lord is toying with disaster. The Lord should be the most important person in our life. How can we become "one" with someone who does not share that love?

While some may think that they can change an unbelieving spouse after marriage, this is not guaranteed. Though some may come to faith later, the statistics overwhelmingly show that it is unlikely. Marrying an unbeliever is not only unwise, but it also violates God's Word. It is never a good foundation for a marriage to ignore God’s instructions.

Being unequally yoked with an unbeliever simply doesn't work. Believers and unbelievers are as different as righteousness and unrighteousness, light and dark, Christ and the devil. One has faith, the other has none. One is the temple of God, the other an idol. Any Christian who doesn’t recognize this conflict is deceived.

Guard your relationships, and build them on the foundation of Christ. Anything less will lead to confusion and conflict in your walk with God.