2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
Romans 8:38 – 39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The word of God. Given to us. To read. To struggle with. To live by.

If he’s telling us to not be unevenly yoked, He is living it too. There’s nothing in this world that’s going to separate us from His love but our non-belief. He isn’t going to be unevenly yoked with us anymore than He doesn’t want us to be unevenly yoked, and oh oh, He’ll be able to pull it off because He won’t have outside influences (wink, wink) clouding His decision making process.

This is where it gets a little harsh. Righteous and believers. Wicked and unbelievers. Ouch. Not much wiggle room there. That sucks really, because He’s not going to cut us any slack. He can’t cut us any slack because He’s perfect, and perfect doesn’t allow for imperfect. (That leads to another question for later – is what we call imperfect, flawed, really imperfect and flawed? Maybe we need to reconsider some things. I digress.)

Yet, since His love is perfect too, we are seen as perfect, equally yoked to God through following Christ, through living for Christ, through our submission to Christ. Once you get that, once it’s real, there’s nothing that’ll take it away. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

Righteous and wicked cannot coexist in a sustainable fashion in the same room. They can exist in separation. Some day they will. Some day good and evil will be separated permanently by God. That day isn’t here yet, so we fight on, knowing that nothing will separate us from the love of God. lt sounds like we might just have some intense conflict to deal with – death or life, angels or demons, present or future, or any powers, height or depth, or anything else in all creation. Dang, that’s a lot that could try to separate us from the love of God, but it won’t. Only we can do that by the choices we make here on earth.

It presents some challenges, because we are naturally unevenly yoked. It’s not a matter to be joked about either. It’s too serious, the consequences to permanent.

We have the joy and hope of Christ though. Christ’s death for our sins changes everything. It gives us hope we never had for a life of joy with God we don’t deserve. Grace.

So, don’t accept a yoke-mate who makes the yoke uncomfortable, untenable. God won’t accept us that way. Yeah, ouch, what do we do now? Do lean into the yoke Christ places on us, be the beast of burden, doing the work Christ calls us to. What is that? Love, service, sacrifice, love, unselfish devotion, compassion, love. Lots of love. Lots of service. Lots of sacrifice. Lots of unselfish.

Have you heard a good yoke joke lately? Ummm, I haven’t. Don’t much talk about yokes unless it’s Sven trying to say “joke”. But, we oughtta be talking about yokes. How well are you yoked up?

Might it be time to up your game?