The Character of a Soldier of God: Part 1

What does it mean to be a soldier of God? This is series I discussed with my youth a few months ago. We all experienced growth from it and I think we can all benefit from it. Stay with me as we go through the book of 2 Timothy every Monday.

Today we'll start with chapter 2. (Chapter 1 is straight introductions).

"1 You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter. 5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 8 Keep your attention on Jesus Christ as risen from the dead and descended from David. This is according to my gospel. 9 I suffer for it to the point of being bound like a criminal, but God’s message is not bound. 10 This is why I endure all things for the elect: so that they also may obtain salvation, which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." - 2 Timothy 2:1-10

First before we look at the characteristics of a soldier of God, let's define WHO is a soldier of God. Timothy was being mentored by Paul here in this text. Timothy was a young minister just getting started. To many a "soldier of God" is narrowly viewed as a preacher or pastor or some type of "official minister." But I think it's far more broad. You see Paul in another letter tells us all to put on the armor of Christ. Soldiers need armor. We as God's Children make up that army. If you've accepted Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, this text is for you. You are a soldier of God. Since we are who this text describes it would benefit us to know how we as soldiers are to act.

In these 10 verses, we find 3 characteristics:

I. A Soldier of Christ is Strong

  v1-2: shows us that our strength isn't a physical brute strength, but rather a spiritual strength that comes from the grace of God. We need to be committed, find a mentor who will help show us the Will of God.

II. A Soldier of Christ is Single-Minded

  v3-4: we see that a soldier doesn't get mixed up in worldly affairs. Instead of pleasing ourselves we aim to please God. 

This brings us to the verse (Matthew 6:24) "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." We can't serve the Lord and the world. James says in his letter that "friendship with the world is hatred towards God." We can't have it both ways. If you remember in Revelation, John states that God would rather us be wholeheartedly against Him that to serve both Him and the world. We can't be lukewarm, we must be fully for Christ or fully against Him. God despises the lukewarmness so much that He said He'd vomit us out of His mouth if we stayed lukewarm.

A soldier of Christ must be singled-minded and focused on Christ.

III. A Soldier of Christ is Strict

  v5-10: this comes with 2 things we soldiers are to do:

1) We must follow the rules (v5). Our playbook or rule book is written in His Word. The word Bible stands for B-basic I-instructions B-before L-leaving E-earth. Every question we have can be answered by turning to the Bible. 

2) We must also work hard (v6). It's not enough to follow the rules. Anyone can do that. But to be a soldier of God we must put forth effort to be the best we can be. Being a soldier isn't a passive job, it's active. As soldiers of Christ's team we aren't on the defense, we are playing offense. We need to give Christ our 100%. 

A soldier needs to be strong in spirit, singled-minded (following only God's Will), and strict (to follow the Word of God and to work their hardest possible).

As we continue this study of what a soldier of God looks like, take time today and each week to compare your life to the life that Paul outlines here for Timothy. Where do we fall? What in our lives can we change to better mirror this example?

Click here to find student worksheets based on this devotion.
http://www.ipursueworship.com/lessons.html

God Bless,

Bro. Austin