Saturday is Veterans Day. We want to thank those who have paid a high price for our freedom. I think we are blessed to live in a country with so much freedom and the absence of war, and part of the reason that we do are the men and women who are and who have sacrificed so much for us to have these privileges. When I look around the world today, I am reminded of the blessing of peace that these soldiers help provide.
Soldiers have been around a long time. They are a symbol that most cultures understand. That may be why Bible writers use them. In 2 Timothy 2:3-4 Paul compares himself to a soldier and encourages us to be soldiers of the cross. The first thing he says is to “suffer hardship” as a soldier. When you think about all the sacrifices that soldiers make and all the hardships they endure, it is amazing. As Christians, we are not called to a life without difficulties, but when we try to live a life for God, hardship will come. We must anticipate, endure, and overcome them to be faithful to God, and with the help of Jesus, we can.
The next thing Paul encourages us to do as soldiers of the cross is to keep ourselves from being entangled by the affairs of everyday life. Soldiers on the front lines are probably not up to date on the latest celebrity gossip, what is going on in the House or Senate, or the number one song on the billboard charts this week. Why? So they can focus on the mission at hand. What a lesson for us to not be distracted by all the things around us and to be focused on the mission at hand!
Finally, Paul mentions pleasing the one who enlisted us as a soldier. There is a chain of authority in the military. You have a responsibility to take orders from a commanding officer and to carry those out to the best of your abilities. The same is true for us as soldiers of the cross. Our goal must be trying to please God. Soldiers of Christ, Arise!