II Timothy 2:4 “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.”
Here, the Apostle Paul challenges our priorities, admonishing us to check ourselves to make sure that our Lord and His Commandments, His Holy Word, and His Church and people are the top priorities in our lives. While this admonition is primarily directed toward the Lord’s Ministers, it also applies to all the born-again Children of God; albeit, the Lord does hold His Ministers and Deacons to a more strict level of commitment to His Service. The word “entangleth” is translated from a word that means to be woven together, and “affairs” refers to anything that would consume our time and hinder our service to the Lord. He does not tell us to isolate ourselves or to withdraw from society, but we must not become entangled “with the affairs of this life” so that we can “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:3); that is, do not become so committed and involved in other “affairs” that we cannot give necessary attention to our service to the Lord. The objective, purpose of our service to the Lord, is to “please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”; that is, “chosen him to be a” Servant of God. And, we must not allow “the affairs of this life” to, in any way, hinder our service. The point is, that we must prayerfully make whatever changes are necessary in our lives to facilitate our service to the Lord. When He calls his children to Spiritual Life, there is an immediate, overwhelming yearning to learn more of the Lord and to worshipfully serve Him. When the Lord calls His Ministers in to service, He gifts them with the necessary desire and talents to serve Him in whatever capacity He calls them into. The knowledge of what our Lord “hath” done for us (II Timothy 1:8-10) is a mighty force that compels us to make whatever sacrifices that are necessary to serve Him; and, He fills us with the indescribable joy as we “take up” our “cross” to follow Him (Matthew 16:24)!