“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs
of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” -2
Timothy 2:4
The Atlanta airport is an interesting place, it is like
a snapshot of the all the people in the world.
People from all over, every nation, country, and custom seemed to be
represented. Thousands of different
people, hustling here and there; the inside of an airport is like an angry
beehive, only none of the bees look alike.
Within this massive migration, there were two persons in particular that
demanded my attention; two men, dressed in fatigues, wearing combat boots, carrying
nothing but a light duffel bag and a serene focus on what was ahead. soldiers for the United States Army.
The example of the soldier chosen by Paul in his writing
to Timothy is not a coincidence. In
fact, he uses the term solider or “fellow solider” a number of times in his New
Testament writings. Consider the life of
a soldier. They serve a greater purpose,
a higher cause, and a nobler pursuit.
They give up certain liberties and freedoms, wholly committing
themselves and those in their charge to their calling; willing to give their
lives for the sake of their country.
They are dispatched to a foreign land and in that land they war. Not for themselves but for others. Paul writes no man that warreth
entangleth himself with the affairs
of this life. The soldier does not
strive to own property, he does not concern himself with “get and gain.” They are not looking to attach, entangle, or
align themselves with the customs, traditions, and trends that take place
within the land where they are fighting.
They need to be light and swift.
They need to be focused, because the job is too great and the calling too
high to risk falling short. Their
concern is the mission, and if they owned stuff that owned them (boats, planes,
houses, cars); if they were members of clubs, followed: musicians, artists,
sports team. If they weighed themselves
down and entangled themselves with the trappings and trimmings of the civilian
life that they find themselves in; it would compromise the mission. It would compromise the calling. They could not war a good warfare. This is the standard that Paul is lifting up
and exhorting his son in the faith Timothy to follow. Timothy, a young man, with a lot of runway in
front of him, who is setting out on his own mission for Christ. Paul is telling him to simplify, to
sacrifice, and to serve with fortitude and focus. It is so easy to become entangled and so
often we find ourselves tempted to put secondary things first. In this consumer, “me first” America we live
in, the temptation to get and gain is intoxicating. There is always something to sign up for,
another commitment that promises personal return. There is a reason soldiers travel with
nothing more than a duffle bag, there is a reason they train to live in the
middle of nowhere with virtually nothing; because the commander in chief may
call the next day and send them somewhere else, another task, another battle,
and they need to be able to pick up and move.
Their lives are not their own.
We are soldiers for Christ, and only the Holy Ghost can
tell us just how far the practical application of Paul’s exhortation should
invade our lives. We are fighting a spiritual
warfare for a cause greater than ourselves, and the devil would do well to convince
that we are here for any other purpose than that. This life is not ours to be entangled in.
