2 Timothy 2:4 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.
No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. (NIV)
Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. (NLT)
Jesus said that His followers would be in this world, but not of it. Every single follower of Jesus is a transplant of heaven, assigned to active duty on earth. Yes, we were physically born into this world, but now we have been spiritually made alive. We have been chosen by God to be soldiers in this war-torn, fallen world of sin and sorrow. We have been chosen and called by God to serve Him and please Him. We are in His army now. We are no longer civilians. We go where He tells us to go. We are enlisted officers, called to obey our Wonderful Commanding Officer Jesus.
Formerly we were civilians who could come and go and do as we pleased. But all that has changed. Life is no longer about pleasing myself, but pleasing my Master. To please Jesus, I cannot get all tangled up in the affairs of civilian life. I must have a soldier’s mentality in every area of my life. I must think like a soldier. Be disciplined like a soldier. Fight like a soldier. Always on guard against the wiles and snares of the enemy that seek to cause me to go AWOL. Are you entangled in the things of this life, beloved? In whom or what is your time and energy invested? Check in with Jesus this morning for battle instructions. You are in His army now.
