Have you noticed how cluttered our lives are? Paul offered many challenges to Timothy, and one really stands out to me in light of the stressful lives that we live almost every day. 2 Timothy 2:1-4 says, ”Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 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.” There are so many things in these verses that speak in certain sounds to me. However, think on this one thing, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.”
This reminds me somewhat of Hebrews 12:1, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” There is no question that sin is on every side. We are warned on every hand, and the law of Christ written in our hearts makes us aware of the pitfalls that abound. However, “the affairs of this life” and the “weight” can be easily dismissed. Pastors will schedule revivals, Bible conferences, and missions conferences months and years ahead. Everyone is aware of the church schedule. Yet, when it is time to participate, it is as though it catches everyone by surprise, although many times it happens the same time every year. Church leaders are often discouraged because the daily schedule of so many is continually filled to, and many times, beyond capacity. Unfortunately, this is not only true for the average church member, but it is also true for most of us. Are we incapable of discerning priorities? Can we not find His guiding hand in the affairs of life? Many years ago I read about a preacher in one of E.M. Bounds books on prayer. The preacher said, “I have so much to do today that I fear if I do not pray at least four hours I will never get it all done.” Are we actually praying about the priorities of life?
Much has been said of having a five year plan, but I wonder if we even have a daily plan. It is so easy to drift along with the affairs of life and permit the heavy weights of life to map our lives for us. Life has limits, and time stands still for none of us. The Lord told His disciples that His meat was to finish the work given Him by the Father. Let’s examine our lives. Is the load that we are under everyday ordered by the Lord? Are we making wise choices when faced with multiple options? Praying that our steps would be ordered by the Lord should be a natural part of our Christian experience. In all of our ways, we must acknowledge Him if we are to cross the finish line with the task complete to His satisfaction.
I pray that God will give us clarity concerning today, and then everyday He sets before us. May His blessings be yours continually.
In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone