2 Timothy 2:3-4

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

It’s not surprising that the apostle Paul often referred to soldiers in his letters. He had seen plenty of Roman soldiers in his time and had no doubt often reflected on their lives. They provided him with a powerful metaphor for the Christian life. I was interested to see that on their website the British army identifies its six values, all of which could easily be applied to the Christian life. They are COURAGE – doing and saying the right thing not the easy thing – DISCIPLINE – doing things properly and setting the right example – RESPECT FOR OTHERS – treat others as you expect to be treated – INTEGRITY – being honest with yourself and your teammates – LOYALTY – support the army and your teammates – and finally SELFLESS COMMITMENT – mates and mission first, me second. Inspiring stuff!

Paul identified three aspects of a soldier’s life which Timothy needed to reflect upon. Firstly, soldiers need to be ready to suffer. Nobody likes suffering, but in a world that is fundamentally opposed to God, it is inevitable that Christians will suffer. This suffering takes many forms. Sometimes it is physical, but more often it is in the form of verbal abuse, mockery and rejection. This is exactly what Jesus promised. In Matthew 10:22, he said: “All nations will hate you because you are my followers.” As a Christian leader, Timothy needed to prepare people for, and support them through, suffering.

Secondly, Paul warned Timothy not to get distracted from his central role. Just as a soldier mustn’t get tied up in civilian matters, so too Timothy needed to ensure that he kept his mind on the job of leading the Church. Distraction is a challenge we all face. There are so many excellent things we could do, but we need to focus on what God has called us to do.

Thirdly, Paul reminded Timothy that the job of soldiers is to please the one who enlisted them. That is precisely our role too. We have been enlisted by Christ and our daily priority needs to be pleasing him, however challenging and difficult that might be.

Question

In what particular way does this teaching challenge you today?

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for calling me to follow you. Help me to work hard at pleasing you in all that I think, say and do. Amen