Warriors
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. (KJV)
I came upon this familiar verse this morning in Starbucks. It got my mind rolling. “The affairs of this life…” What does that mean? Does it mean we ought to shun the reality of existing in an actual world in favor of some esoteric hermitage? For cloistered living? Impossible; in this passage, Paul exhorts Timothy to act like a soldier in his life and ministry under his Commander, Christ. Can one be a good soldier and never set foot on the battle field? Can one be a good soldier by refusing to confront the Enemy?
I like the ESV translation of this verse:
No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
It gives rise to instant ideas as to what “affairs of this life” refer; thoughts that come to my mind are marriage, family, friends, careers, wealth, fame, position, posessions, beauty… But, is Paul telling Timothy that all such things ought to be automatically shunned? That desiring or, better, appreciating them is wickedness? I don’t think so. None of these things in and of themselves are wicked, and we know from Ecclesiastes and other Bibe passages that God grants such things as He will as blessings that ought to be enjoyed and appreciated in light of the Giver; it must be, therefore, how we receive them and what we do with them that decides whether or not we are “entangled” in them. As with anything, it is our wicked hearts that turn God’s blessings into sin. Desiring a God-honoring marriage and family life isn’t wicked, as long as the desire–or the realization of that desire–does not take God’s place as Commander and thus control you.
On another note, I live a very soft life. I enjoy material and spiritual blessings that I sense I’ve never fully appreciated. And I often find myself fleeing the battle field (where I’m only on the mere outskirts, in any case) and running into a tangled web of idoltry of “civilian pursuits.” I have yet to endure any real “hardness” (vs. 3), and am quite honestly a little afraid to ask God to get me into warrior-condition…
I’m glad this Army doesn’t shoot its deserters; I’m also glad its Commander takes the time to find them and patiently places them back in line. We all want to be good soldiers. But what’ll it take?