Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2:4 “No one engages in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”As Christians we see ourselves in many different ways. We often view ourselves as God’s sheep since He is the good shepherd. We also see ourselves as His servants, His slaves, and even His people. However, I think that we would do well to identify ourselves with what Paul identifies Timothy as. Here he tells Timothy that he is a soldier of Christ. It is great to see ourselves as God’s sheep, servants, or slaves, but we also must remember that as His ambassadors we are frontline soldiers. We are storming the beaches of this world for the glory of God. But all soldiers no matter what battlefield they are on have to deal with some sort of suffering. Every soldier faces hardships. Paul says that this is true of Timothy and it is also true of us. The way we endure the hardships of this life to lean on God more than we ever before. Trust Him, and seek His will and guidance in the midst of the hardships we through. However, some of the hardships we face are of our own volition. Paul speaks to this truth in V.4. As soldiers of Christ we do not have time to entangle ourself with the affairs of this world. We don’t have time to follow the sinful desires of our hearts, or the ways of the world. If we do this, there is no way to please the one who enlisted us as soldiers. God is the one who enlisted us into His army. Our goal as His soldiers should be to please Him above all else. We can never be the soldiers we need to be if we are in love with the ways of the world. Paul is not speaking against the enjoyment of life, rather he is speaking against prioritizing worldly things above the mission God has for us. We must never allow anything whether it’s good or evil to hinder our completion of the God’s mission. His mission is proclaiming His gospel to the ends of the world, so all can see His love and experience His presence. We do this by sharing the gospel, teaching the Bible, giving to missions, serving in church, raising Godly families and so much more. Never allow anything to get in the way of serving the Lord! You are His solider! Are you pleasing Him today?
