A Good Soldier

"Don't bother to give God instructions; just report for duty."

- Corrie Ten Boom, Holocaust survivor

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

- The Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:4

Every time I sit down with another man to disciple him, I always begin in the same place in God’s word… 2 Timothy 2.

It is the second chapter of a beautiful letter written from the Apostle Paul to a young pastor by the name of Timothy. Paul is in prison in Rome and nearing the end of his life. Timothy is a young pastor whom Paul has mentored. 2 Timothy is Paul’s final words to him as Timothy seeks to honor God in the way in which he lives, and in the way in which he ministers to others.

Verse 4 is a perfect example of what it means to serve God as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Paul admonishes Timothy, and us, to not get entangled in civilian affairs (power, money, status, material possessions), but focus on pleasing our commanding officer [God]. Corrie Ten Boom, a Holocaust survivor, who had to endure more than any of us could ever even imagine, affirmed Paul’s words when she wrote, “Don’t bother to give God instructions; just report for duty.”

It is no coincidence that in verse 3, just before Paul’s words in verse 4, he writes,

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

- 2 Timothy 2:3

Just as Paul endured the sufferings of prison, Corrie Ten Boom endured the incomprehensible sufferings of a concentration camp in Germany.

Yet, like Paul, her faith never wavered; she never doubted God and His plan for her.

I have never, and hope I never will, have had to suffer like Corrie Ten Boom.  And I have never been in prison like Paul. Again, I hope and pray it is something I never have to experience. In addition, I have never been a soldier, so I cannot speak from first-hand experience, but I have talked to those who have. As we discussed verses 3 and 4, they would nod knowingly. When I asked if they had ever disobeyed their commanding officer, the response was sometimes, “Once! Learned to never do it again.”

Fortunately, we do not experience the same type of punishment when we disobey God. He offers undeserved grace. As a result, we do not obey our commanding officer [God] out of fear, but out of:

1. Gratitude for what He has done for us.
2. Knowledge that His plan for us is better than our own.
3. Faith in the One who is Faithful to us.

Friends, may we be good soldiers for Jesus, willing to endure whatever suffering may come our way, and not getting entangled in the things of this world, but always seeking to please our commanding officer.

It is what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Pastor Ken

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