Articles
Act Like a Soldier
The Apostle Paul says in IITimothy that we should be like him, a "good soldier of Christ Jesus". In fact, he says "join with me in suffering, like a good soldier". He says "be strong!".
It may be hard for us to visualize that today exactly, because the people he was talking to would understand and visualize a Roman foot soldier, serving in the army of their day.
A soldier then would expect to endure hardship as he served. He would expect to live off whatever the King provided to sustain him, food, shelter & clothing. As a soldier, one is obligated to fulfill the wishes of his commanding officer, and ignore his own. That might not be pleasant at all.
Among the things a soldier might expect to endure, Paul lists a few. "Afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watching and hunger" are a few of the things Paul is telling Timothy to expect in his service to Christ Jesus. In a verse leading up to this, Paul says "but take your share of suffering for the gospel..."
And another thing, very important, Paul says, "No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him". Basically, Paul is saying our job as Christian soldiers is to carry out orders, or as he compares us to athletes, to play by the rules, not to plot our own course. If we try to navigate outside of the path God has set forth, we will fail to fulfill our role toward Him.
Paul summarizes all this, with words of wisdom for us, "This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory."
If we are seeking and spreading the Gospel with the enthusiasm we should, we likely are suffering in some way or another. As we work to "please our commanding officer" let us "remember Christ Jesus, raised from the dead..." and "endure everything for the sake of the elect".
2 Timothy 2:3-10
