Extended family members can be parasites who continually
fight against your values, mocking what you believe and pressuring you to live
like they do.
The weaker partner in a marriage often will follow those who
pressure them to accept their ways, bringing frustration on the one who desires
to obey God. You may be married to a believer like yourself, but if that
believer is a baby in the Lord or weak when it comes to family, then it is best
to spend little time with extended family, unless the extended family is strong
in the Lord.
Those who are believers need to spend little time with
extended family who are not born again, to avoid the constant pressure from
ungodly attitudes and ways.
It is one thing to visit one on one, with an unsaved family
member for the purpose of bringing them the gospel, it is quite another to make
them close friends with whom you spend all the holidays, birthdays and picnics
on a continual basis.
Extended family who feel they have an ally with the weaker
spouse, continually working to undermine the relationship by flattering the
baby believer while negating and ridiculing the stronger believer. This
seriously weakens the marriage relationship and places pressure to bear on the
one who is sold out to Christ.
2 Corinthians 6:17
"17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you."
1 Corinthians 15:33
"Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good
morals."
It is clear that the more time we spend with unbelievers the
more likely we are to become weaker in the Lord. Those who do not love the Lord, have the
ability to undermine all that we desire, making us feeble minded.
Vacillating in our determination to walk with Christ, often
is our response to extended family who hate our God. We become worried more
about offending the family member than what God thinks of our behavior.
Proverbs 29:25
"The fear of man brings a snare: but whoso places his
trust in the LORD shall be safe."
Matthew 10:37-39
"37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not
worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of
Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of
Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My
sake will find it."
If we purpose to live for Christ, then extended family will
shrink from us, if they do not, then it is probable that we are not living out
our Christian life as boldly as we should.
Luke 12:51-53
"51 Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth?
I tell you, not at all, but rather division. 52 For from now on five in one
house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Father will
be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and
daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Do we live to please men or do we live to please God?
If we want our marriages to be strong, make only Godly
believers our best friends.
