“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 2:4

People often scoff at Christianity because they say that it is a crutch. They believe you are taking the easy way out when you become a Christian. Those people are misguided. However, that idea has become very popular in our society and is fostered mostly by the feel-good doctrine that fills the pulpits of many American churches. It’s a lot easier to gain church-goers when you don’t discuss the difficulty and sacrifice of being a disciple of Christ. There’s a problem with that: People want Jesus to fix all of their problems for them. But when they find out that Jesus is not some cure-all that takes all of their problems away, they walk away because they’re not willing to make the difficult choices necessary to live a disciplined life.

Jesus mentions people like this in the Parable of the Sower. They are the type that receive the word with gladness but as soon as hardships come they immediately fall away because they have no roots. He also describes the Way to Life as being “difficult” and that there are few who find it. When we read that verse we have the tendency to immediately think of those who are saved, those who are not and the different paths they’ve chosen. But what about those who have accepted Jesus and have now suddenly gone AWOL? What about those who are saved but have chosen to live an unchecked life, glutting themselves on whatever makes them happy? There is more to living the Christian life than wallowing in secular obesity, expecting God to whip us into spiritual shape. I have personally been challenged by these verses in 2 Timothy. And not just because I’m on the “husky” side.

Think about Paul’s analogies for a minute- It appears that, just as a soldier or an athlete, he had to discipline himself to live according to God’s rules in order to be worthy of the calling on his life. “Whoa, wait a minute,” object the powdered-sugar-covered mouths of the portly masses, “Christianity is not about following a list of rules! That’s why Jesus died. We’re not under the law, you legalistic lout!” You’re right! Not about the “lout” part. (Boy, do I love a good Thesaurus?) All you have to do to be saved is to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again and put your faith in Him. But how are we to live once we’ve been saved? What purpose do we have on earth? What about when God enlists us into the service of His Kingdom?

This is something that, although I had read it before, I didn’t fully grasp. God wants me to live a life that is deliberate. A life that is not entangled by sin or the need to make a name for myself. A life that is stripped of any unnecessary “liberty” that could ultimately detract from or dilute the working of the Holy Ghost in my life. The life of a true disciple of Christ, a true servant of the Living God is a RADICAL one. As an Olympian sacrifices their body to a daily training regimen in hopes of ultimately winning the gold; as a soldier goes through boot camp to learn how to give his life for a greater cause; so we must be wholly dedicated to the calling on our lives. You see, becoming a Christian isn’t grabbing for the crutches out of weakness; it’s enlisting in the sacred war for the souls of all mankind. Spoiler Alert! I know who wins.

“Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as [one who] beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring [it] into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” – 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

 

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” – 2 Timothy 2:3