No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him.
2nd Timothy 2:4 The Amplified Bible
Even though this weekend is the Memorial Day holiday, the month of May is designated as National Military Appreciation Month. So, I love when pastors ask veterans and/or those currently serving in the Armed Forces to please stand and be recognized, and it brings the house down with applause of appreciation and honor.
I watch men and women from WWII, bent with age, pull themselves up and stand taller than they've stood in the last year. Proud that someone remembers what they did for their country all those years ago.
I can usually tell those men and women who served during the Viet Nam war. They are different than the WWII vets. I try to look directly in the eyes of as many of those standing as I can, with my hand over my heart to say 'thank you' and I usually wind up in tears as their tears slip silently down their cheeks. It never fails.
There are the Desert Storm veterans and then the hardest ones for me - the Armed Forces of today. Young men and women whose faces haven't completely cleared from their high school acne and yet their eyes belie their years. With some of them, their faces are juxtaposed with the mental picture I have in my heart of their first day in elementary school when I worked there. Those are hard for me. But the Truth is, these youngest signed up. They volunteered to serve.
It's strange how my perspective on soldiers has changed with my age. When I was a kid, fathers were soldiers and that seemed fitting because fathers are supposed to protect. So in a child's reasoning, they were doing what they were supposed to do. In high school, with friends and family facing Viet Nam and the draft, we started off believing we were invincible because we were teens and that's what teens think... until one of the neighborhood kids was killed. And then another. And another. And then it was my oldest brother leaving to perform his duty in the Air Force. And my perspective changed again.
Now it's praying with the mom of the little boy from next door - the little boy/Marine who - on his fifth tour in Afghanistan - was wounded and still fought like a madman to save the lives of his men, earning the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart for his courage.
There is one thing they all have in common. They are changed. They are never again able to think only in terms of I and my and me. They realize they are only a part of the big picture. When engaged in battle, they listen only for the voice of their commanding officer. No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him. Waiting to hear, "Well done, Soldier."
And that is how we are supposed to be in service to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not entangled by the affairs of this world, but listening for the voice of God, commanding that we love one another, that we serve each other in love, that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable.
The three verses preceding our text in 2 Timothy 2 for today read this way:
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Some are veterans, some are newbies, but all are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are we good soldiers of Christ Jesus? Are we able to endure? Though wounded, are we fighting like madmen to save the lives of those around us?
Prayer:
Father
Our aim is to satisfy and please You. Help us to keep our focus on You so that we don't get entangled in the enterprises of life. Help us to be good soldiers for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Even though this weekend is the Memorial Day holiday, the month of May is designated as National Military Appreciation Month. So, I love when pastors ask veterans and/or those currently serving in the Armed Forces to please stand and be recognized, and it brings the house down with applause of appreciation and honor.
I watch men and women from WWII, bent with age, pull themselves up and stand taller than they've stood in the last year. Proud that someone remembers what they did for their country all those years ago.
I can usually tell those men and women who served during the Viet Nam war. They are different than the WWII vets. I try to look directly in the eyes of as many of those standing as I can, with my hand over my heart to say 'thank you' and I usually wind up in tears as their tears slip silently down their cheeks. It never fails.
There are the Desert Storm veterans and then the hardest ones for me - the Armed Forces of today. Young men and women whose faces haven't completely cleared from their high school acne and yet their eyes belie their years. With some of them, their faces are juxtaposed with the mental picture I have in my heart of their first day in elementary school when I worked there. Those are hard for me. But the Truth is, these youngest signed up. They volunteered to serve.
It's strange how my perspective on soldiers has changed with my age. When I was a kid, fathers were soldiers and that seemed fitting because fathers are supposed to protect. So in a child's reasoning, they were doing what they were supposed to do. In high school, with friends and family facing Viet Nam and the draft, we started off believing we were invincible because we were teens and that's what teens think... until one of the neighborhood kids was killed. And then another. And another. And then it was my oldest brother leaving to perform his duty in the Air Force. And my perspective changed again.
Now it's praying with the mom of the little boy from next door - the little boy/Marine who - on his fifth tour in Afghanistan - was wounded and still fought like a madman to save the lives of his men, earning the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart for his courage.
There is one thing they all have in common. They are changed. They are never again able to think only in terms of I and my and me. They realize they are only a part of the big picture. When engaged in battle, they listen only for the voice of their commanding officer. No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of [civilian] life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him. Waiting to hear, "Well done, Soldier."
And that is how we are supposed to be in service to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Not entangled by the affairs of this world, but listening for the voice of God, commanding that we love one another, that we serve each other in love, that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable.
The three verses preceding our text in 2 Timothy 2 for today read this way:
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
Some are veterans, some are newbies, but all are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Are we good soldiers of Christ Jesus? Are we able to endure? Though wounded, are we fighting like madmen to save the lives of those around us?
Prayer:
Father
Our aim is to satisfy and please You. Help us to keep our focus on You so that we don't get entangled in the enterprises of life. Help us to be good soldiers for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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