Bible Verse of the Day Saturday October 15th, 2022

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

Any soldier that goes into battle will have to endure some suffering. If they get wounded, there will be physical suffering. If one of their comrades gets injured or killed, there will be emotional suffering. The same is the case for being a soldier for the Army of God; when we take up our banner to march in the Army of Christ Jesus, we may have to turn our backs on our families (Luke 9:57-61). There will be times when we may have to choose between Marching with Christ Jesus and giving our all to our families; Jesus tells us in Luke 9:62 what the correct choice should be; Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Paul tells us that no soldier gets involved in world affairs but tries to please their commanding officer. In other words, we should not concern ourselves with the ways of this world; we should come out and separate ourselves from the world (2 Corinthians 6:17).

Paul tells his readers to take the attitude of a soldier who expects to suffer for the cause they are marching. No real soldier ever gave up the fight because of a bit of suffering. In the same way, if believers and followers of Christ Jesus are willing to suffer a little hardship, they will only accomplish a little for the cause of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. Therefore, these will give up, turn away from Christ and return to the world's ways. In this case, they will not be able to fulfill the call of Jesus on their lives (Matthew 16:24).

A soldier has to give up many things, some are bad (pride, independence, self-will), and some are good things (their homes and families). However, if soldiers are not prepared to give up all of these things, they will not be good soldiers. Therefore, true soldiers do not have the right to entangle themselves in anything that might make them less effective soldiers.

Paul is saying that if we want to be good soldiers in the Army of God, we must put aside the things of the world (our wants and our plans) to be pleasing to our commander, Christ Jesus (Joshua 5:14). When Paul wrote this letter, he was living in a rented house in Rome under house arrest. He saw how his Roman guards obeyed all orders from their commander, and he knew that this is how Christians should act towards our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus (John 14:15; John 15:14). 

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