“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 a snapshot of the all the people in the world. People from every nation, country, and custom seemed to be represented there. Thousands of people, hustling here and there; like an angry anthill. Admits all this commotion, there stood out two persons 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” several 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 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 indoctrinating. There is always something to sign up for, another commitment that promises return. There is a reason soldiers travel with nothing more than a duffle bag; 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 the Cross, and only the Holy Ghost will tell us just how far the practical application of Paul’s exhortation should invade our lives. It must 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; this world is not our home.
