Making Affinity with the World
1 Kings 3:1
“And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.”
One of the first mistakes Solomon made in his administration was thinking that he could make peace with the world, and by making peace that the world would never cause him problems. It says in the verse above that Solomon “made affinity” with Pharaoh. This deal that Solomon made with Pharaoh brought about him marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. You will later read in Solomon's life that this lady ended up changing him. When he got old, he got tired of fighting for right and gave in to the pressure that this lady and the other women whom he married place upon him.
We must learn that it is not worth making peace with the world. It will eventually come back and get us one day just like it did Solomon. Far too many Christians and preachers think that they can be peaceful with the world and still take a stand for Christ and the old-time religion. I have news for you, this can never happen. The world is our opponent and we MUST fight the world, for affinity with the world will bring heartache to our lives.
There are a couple of things that should grab our attention about Solomon making affinity with the world. First of all, Solomon moved and the world didn't. One of the greatest lies the world gets Christians to believe is if you will move towards them then they will come towards you. Christian, this never happens! The world will always want you to make the first move, which is the worst move that you will ever make.
Secondly, the word “affinity” means to conform. In other words, the world wants you to conform to them instead of the world conforming to the Christian lifestyle. God commands the Christian in Romans 12:2, to “...be not conformed to this world...” The Christian is not to be conformed, but the Christian is to be transformed. The difference between these two words is that conforming is fashioning yourself into the shape of the world, while transformation is a complete metamorphosis from a fleshly life into a spiritual life. In other words, God doesn't want you to yield to the conforming pressures that the world places upon you, but rather allow the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to transform you into His image.
Christian, conformity should not be your choice! You are to transform yourself into God's image. Always remember that any time you make affinity with the world you will experience heartache. The world has no desire in becoming like you, it only wants you to conform by adding what you are to what it is. My friend, you don't need any part of this flesh to control you, but you need to yield to the Holy Spirit of God and allow Him to transform you into the image of Christ.
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