Mismatched Mates

2 Corinthians 6:14

Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness?

Two of these things belong together one of these things is not the same.

"One of These Things" was a song written by Joe Raposo, Jon Stone and Bruce Hart and regularly used on Sesame Street for sketches where viewers would be shown a group of four items, one of which was different from the other three, and they would have to identify the item which didn't belong. This song taught children how to put things that matched together.

It’s not uncommon for a child to come walking down the stairs with mismatched socks because they don’t take the time to notice that these two don’t go together. Children don’t care that they match as long as they are comfortable and provide some appearance of covering. Children don’t care that what they have doesn’t match because they are more concerned about going out to play than they are about the fact that what I have on doesn’t go together. They are not mature enough to know that these two things, this outfit, was never supposed to go together. A child walking down the stairs mismatched is not as tragic as a grown person walking down the aisle of the church getting married and they are mismatched. It’s not as tragic as two people going into business together mismatched.

How do you know if two things go together?
1. Do the patterns match? When you hold up two things that you are about to put on you have to study the patterns. We don’t hold up the two things long enough to discover any patterns. Is their behavior consistent with who they say they are. Have I been with them long enough to see if the patterns are consistent.

2. Make sure you get dressed in the light. If you get dressed in the dark chances are you will come out with something not matching. All dress socks look black in the dark but when you come out in the light you discover that one is really brown.

3. Do they fit together? When they are in a bundle all socks look like they can fit together but when you hold them side by side you will discover that although they look alike they don’t fit.

4. Is one dirtier than the other? If you have a dingy sock with a icy white sock that is not a good look. That dingy sock was the sock you wore outside while the icy white is the one you wore with your new shoes. You can’t mix what’s been overused with what’s been reserved.

5. Is one Holier than the other? You can have two socks that look like they are the same but one may have more holes than the other. Do not be unequally yoked. Make sure you are on the same spiritual level.

6. Are they made from the same material? You can’t wear linen and corduroy. They are meant for two different seasons.

7. Do they have the same function? I can’t stand to see an older man with a jogging suit on with Sunday shoes. They don’t match. One is for working out and one is for worship. It’s the same with people, one is a worshipper and the other one is always trying to run away.

As Christians, we are supposed to be matched with other believers. Whenever I discover a mismatch on Facebook, that is people who hate God, I quickly delete them because we have nothing in common. If a person does not believe that God exists nothing else matters. The bible says, choose this day who you will serve, whether God or Satan, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Dear God, help me to choose carefully my friends. Eveybody can’t match up with me and if it don’t fit I’m not going to force it. We can’t choose your relatives but we can choose our friends.

In Jesus Name,

Amen