A GOOD SOLDIER OF CHRIST
2 Timothy 2
“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.”
Malachi told his fellow Jews what God felt about what they offered him: “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the Lord. “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the Lord Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations.”
God in his love for us has done all the heavy lifting for us, even to the extent of the sacrifice of his own Son to win for us redemption and forgiveness. Yet we, in our crassness, respond with our leftovers in money, time, effort and care.
Paul challenges Timothy to straighten and shore up his spine: be a soldier, be a champion athlete, be a successful farmer, and serve your God. You can’t serve God without discipline and perseverance. God does not deserve any lesser than your best. The Gospel is so precious, the work of the Gospel in our minds and hearts is so important, we must do our best to make sure that God’s work in us and in our community does not go down the drain.
Of course the truth is that we cannot achieve God’s victory with even our best efforts but can we do any less? After all, even if we die serving him all that happens is that we will be with him in the afterlife. If we persevere we will overcome. However, if we deny him, if we turn our backs to him, then we will lose him and all he has given us but his work will go on because he will not fail.
“If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”