HANDLING THE BATTLEFIELD BLUES

Devotion 6

“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” 2 Timothy 2:3

YUCK! That’s what I thought as I read this verse. It might not sound holy but it’s honest! And let’s be honest – tough times are tough. God knows that. Jesus experienced all kinds of tough times. When was the last time you were ridiculed by your family, scorned by your hometown, derided by the church leaders, and had a price on your head – all at the same time?

Paul knew life was hard. He knew that trouble and pain were part of living and that being a Christ-follower did not make one immune to problems. For Timothy and Paul, because of the persecution, it actually made things worse. Did Paul relish the suffering? No. Did he look forward to prison? No. He simply knew that in this life all kinds of difficulty would come Timothy would need to endure, so Paul encouraged him to fight through the tough times with focus. “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

What vivid orders! In battle soldiers undergo many demanding and difficult situations. They experience little sleep and lousy food. They live in constant danger and lose comrades along the way. The comforts and luxuries of home seem like a distant dream as they daily combat the enemy. To fight like a good soldier, you must be determined and brave. You must believe in the cause and stay focused on the objective.

Same with Timothy and same with us. Our lives here as Christ-followers will be demanding and difficult. I wish I could tell you something different, but Jesus Himself told us that in this world we will have trouble. That’s because it’s a place messed up by sin and influenced Satan. Like it or not, hardship is here to stay. How do we handle it? The same way Paul and Timothy did – Fight through the tough times with a focus on Jesus. He is the cause we must believe in. He is the objective we stay focused upon.

“So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (The Message)

Be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
He will be worth it all.


Time For A Little R&R

RECOGNIZE
What tough time is challenging you right now? How can you know God better through this trial?

RESPOND
Ask God for strength, focus, and faith.