As a soldier of Christ, you may not be able to get to participate in activities that others do. These are areas of involvement that are not necessarily wrong, in and of themselves, they are just not prudent for you. Paul instructed Timothy, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer" (2 Timothy 2:4). "Civilian affairs" might include:
- Time wasters, such as TV, internet, etc.
- Amoral worldly activities that take time and energy away from God’s work.
- Draining relationships that take energy away from those who need you most.
- Ministries that are not “core” to how God has gifted and wired you.
- Intractable conflicts or disputes, that are not about the main thing.
Others may have freedom to get involved in things that are not eternal, life-changing, or life-giving. As a servant of Christ, you will not have these freedoms. You are not your own. You are bought with a price. You are a living sacrifice. Your involvements will be limited. Why? Because...
- You recognize God’s call on your life (“serving as a soldier”). You are no longer a civilian. You're in the army now...the Lord's army ("Yes Sir!").
- You desire to please Him most of all (“he wants to please”). Others may not understand why you cannot do the things they do, or the things they want you to do. But you are not living for "others." You are living for Him. You only want to do what pleases Him.
- You desire to obey His commands (“his commanding officer”). What He says, goes. Period. He says "Jump." You say, "How high?"
By signing up for His service, what you get in replacement of the "civilian" is the "eternal" - eternal victories, eternal joys, eternal rewards.
Onward Christian soldiers. March on!
