-May 12, 2025-
Good morning dear friends, happy Monday.
“You therefore must endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
(2 Timothy 2:3-4).
In this section of 2 Timothy 2:1-13, Paul speaks of being strong in grace. He uses several analogies of the Christian life: being soldiers, athletes, and farmers. Each of these is worthy of our study and meditation.
When a person enlists in military service, he or she signs up for a life of full allegiance and commitment to our country. It therefore should be done with careful consideration of all the ramifications. Your lives are your own and you must give over all your personal things. They give what to wear, and the weapons and equipment you need to function in your role as a soldier.They tell when to sleep, when to eat, and when to fight.
Being a soldier is not easy from bootcamp to the battlefield. The same is true of us as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Paul tells us we must endure hardship. This is especially true when a soldier is in active combat. Being a soldier requires sacrifice, privation, and hard physical effort. One has to be all in, all the time.
The word hardship is defined as, “severe suffering or privation.” The Christian life is filled with many hardships: spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, social, material, and financial. They are difficult to go through.
For us there are spiritual battles to fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Because we still have the old nature we must engage in fighting against sin. The word “endure” can be rendered “you must share.” Thus we share in the life of Christ and when we stand for Him we will suffer persecution and opposition.
Have a blessed day serving in the Lord’s Army. There will be hardships but there will also be the grace to fight on. Stay and healthy.
The battle is not ours but the Lord’s, all our days and all our hours.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 