During the severe persecution of Nero, the aged Apostle Paul found himself in prison with little hope of being released (see 2 Timothy 4:6-8). As a result, Paul wrote to his spiritual son in the faith Timothy, to encourage him to continue serving the Lord faithfully. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul tells Timothy to look to three illustrations of Christlike service to avoid discouragement. One of those illustrations is of the soldier.[1] In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul tells Timothy to look to the soldier who endures suffering while faithfully serving the One who enlisted him into service. Like the soldier, Timothy needs to be careful not to get entangled in things that would distract from his faithful service. Paul uses the word entangled (emplekō) which means to weave in with something. Paul is not saying that there should be no engagement with the outside world, but that the faithful servant does not allow external things to distract his total devotion to the Lord.[2] “The believer, of course, has been enlisted by the Lord, and our love for Him should cause us to maintain a light hold on the things of this world.”[3]
As we look at the illustration of the soldier, we see that service to the Lord will not always be easy. One goal that must be maintained is a desire to first please the Lord who enlisted us to His service. Is there anything in our lives that might keep us from faithfully serving and pleasing the Lord?
“We make it our aim to please Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9 NASB 95) Blessings, Pastor Steven
[1] For the example of a farmer, see https://pastorstevendbc.wixsite.com/nbba/post/looking-to-the-farmer. [2] See also Luke 9:57-62, 2 Cor. 5:9, and 1 Timothy 6:9-12. For a bad example, see Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10. [3] The Believer’s Bible Commentary, pg. 2182.