Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. (2 Timothy 2:3-4, NLT)
Not too long ago, I was reminded that there is more than one way to play golf. The reminder came from somebody who hardly knew how to play at all.
I brought a couple of guests out to play at my club. One of them was a beginner. A little ways into the round, this newbie said to me, “Look how beautiful the flowers are, and how beautiful the lakes are.”
I could only respond with, “Wow!” I had been so focused on my score, I took for granted the beauty of the golf course.
If you play golf like me, keeping your eyes on how close you are to par, you’re a scorecard golfer. But if you play like my guest, with your attention on the landscape around you, you’re a postcard golfer. See what I mean? More than one way to play.
In all of life, we have options like these. We can look at the world one way, or we can look at it entirely differently. It depends on our perspective, which then drives our actions.
Brothers and sisters, we are on active duty. Jesus’ people don’t sit around.This is what Paul (the mentor) was explaining to Timothy (the learner) when he used the example of a soldier in his second letter to the young minister. Mindful soldiers don’t get distracted by other purposes. They pay attention to the job at hand. That’s how they please their enlisting officer.
2020 has been the kind of year where we can get easily distracted. Health concerns, economic concerns, and political concerns have all tried to knock us off task. What would Paul have written to us in a year like this one? I think his words would be very similar to what he told Timothy: “Be a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life.”
I looked up civilian in Webster’s dictionary. Here’s what it says: “One not on active duty in the armed services…” What a help that is! Brothers and sisters, we are on active duty. Jesus’ people don’t sit around. They pay attention to what the Lord wants them to do and then they do it! Why? Because they want to please their officer, who is Jesus.
One of my go-to Scripture verses is Romans 8:31. Paul wrote: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” God is fighting for me, so I want to be fighting for him.
As a soldier of Christ Jesus, I need to keep my eyes on him, and do what he would have me do. Sometimes that might even be to enjoy the flowers and the lakes, praising him for the beauty of all he has made!
—
Dereck Wong
November 9, 2020
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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