“Remember that
soldiers on active duty don’t get
wrapped up in (Voice) or entangled
(ESV) in civilian matters because they want to satisfy those who recruited them
(Voice).”
-
2 Timothy
2:4, Voice
Active
duty. Military duty that is a full time
job. A commitment to lend one’s strength
on behalf of one’s country, one’s home, and one’s people. Every
day. When it’s boring. When you’re tired. No matter when or where you’re needed. No matter how dangerous. In every
battle. Training when there is no battle
to fight.
And that is
how we are supposed to serve Christ – actively, everyday, with undivided
attention. Sure, not every day feels
like a battle, and it isn’t. There are
seasons of rest, to train and prepare ourselves, to arm ourselves with the
Word, to strengthen our faith. But there
are also days when our strength is tested, when we are called to lend our
strength in the battle for other’s souls, in the battle to protect our hearts
from temptation and that even greater evil, pride, to confront the darkness and
take back the captives. There will be
days when walking with Christ will be difficult, days when we’re tired and want
the easier road, days when it seems that aligning ourselves with Christ is the
most dangerous decision we could make. So
how do we do it? How do we walk with God
as though we are on active duty? By
staying focused, by not being entangled
by the cares of this world.
Nearly every
translation I looked at of this verse used the word “entangled.” Looking at the definition of this word, I
made some interesting discoveries. Check
this out. The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary
defines the word “entangle” as:
“To
involve in anything complicated, and from
which it is difficult to extricate one’s self … to lose in numerous or
complicated involutions … to involve in difficulties; to perplex; to
embarrass; to puzzle; to bewilder; to ensnare by captious questions; to catch; to perplex or distract.”
Before I could
really derive too much meaning from this, I also needed to look up the word “involutions”
(because I didn’t know what that meant), and according to Dictionary.com, this
word could mean:
“A rolling up or folding in upon
itself … retrograde development; degeneration.”
So,
according to these definitions, there are five categories/ways that we can be
ensnared in concerns of the world and kept from fulfilling our divine
duties/gifting in Christ:
1. Unnecessary Obligations – What have we
said “yes” to that God didn’t call us to do?
What have we filled our schedule with that keeps us from fully serving
the Lord and utilizing our gifts for His glory?
I am not talking about throwing away responsibility, but I think all of
us have been in a situation at least once where we committed to something
simply because no one else stepped up, because we struggle saying no, etc. – and
we didn’t really ask God about if that was something that would glorify
Him. These things, draining us of energy,
time, creativity, and tolerance for other people, can become distractions from
what God wants us to be focused on.
2. Losing ourselves in Depression – Look
at that definition of “involution.” A
rolling up or folding in upon itself – doesn’t that sound an awful lot like a
fetal position? What have we given up
hope? Where have we lost passion and
energy because of sadness and a curling in upon ourselves, focusing only on our
own pain? Again, I am not saying
callously to “just get over it.” I know
it doesn’t work that way. I am saying that
we, as children of God and soldiers of His Kingdom, need to recognize the
depression that steals from us, seek help from Godly counsel and from the Word
and allow time for healing, so the depression does not continue to limit our
ability to serve the Lord.
3. Losing ourselves in immaturity and unwise
decisions – Perhaps because I have been studying and doing a lot of
genealogy work recently, the phrase “degeneration” means something very
different to me than it would have several months ago. To me, the word “degeneration,” means
regressing, means removing a generation of legacy. How does that happen? By immaturity and unwise decisions. Spiritual immaturity robs us of legacy, does
not allow us to reach out beyond ourselves, to disciple others in the faith –
because we are forever children, who cannot reproduce faith or encourage its
growth in another generation. If
anything, spiritual immaturity kills future growth, more likely to do damage to
unbelievers who are considering a walk with God than anything.
4. Captious Questions or Doubts – What questions
have we allowed to fill our lives with bitterness and doubts? Every Christian faces times of questioning,
times that can help us examine the foundation of our faith and build it
stronger, knowing with more security what we believe. But there are seasons and attitudes of
questioning that can lead to bitterness, doubt, and other spirit-killing
things. Creating an atmosphere for these
kinds of questions to fester will not allow you to be a good soldier for Christ
or anyone.
5. Distractions of all kinds – In America,
I feel like this is the easiest to understand.
I mean, we have hundreds of TV channels, work days that stretch into
infinity, activities after school every night of the week from the time children,
technology that allows you to distance yourself and “be connected” to
everything at the swipe of a finger … We do distraction well. And it hurts our walk with God.
So why write
about this? It’s heavy, unfriendly, not
a “feel good” kind of blog necessarily.
And the answer is simple – because as I studied, I was convicted. Because there are areas of my life that I have
been ensnared. And now that I see this
so clearly, now that God has shown me these areas and these points to watch for
– I want to help you escape as well.
There are people who need us to walk freely for Christ, who need the hope
we can give them when we are completely in tune with God, strengthened in the
Word, and standing on our faith. We
cannot afford to be ensnared and distracted from our serve. Neither can they.
It’s time to
really go on Active Duty for Christ. No
more reserves. No more holding
back.
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