Not Entangled with Affairs of Life

Background Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-26
Lesson Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:1-10

Introduction

Like the strands of a spider’s web, the little things of life can stick to us and wrap themselves around us. We may hardly be aware of them, but when we try to put them down, we discover how entwined they are in our lives.

God asks for a full, conscious commitment from us; He never signs up his soldiers for part-time service. Satan, on the other hand, is satisfied with just a little slippage here and a little influence there. Even if he can only entangle us a little, he rejoices to see our service to God hindered by those entanglements.

The affairs of life affect us all. We are not meant to be idle, but we must make sure we are occupied with the right things. “All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12).

Key Verse

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him (Matt. 4:19-20).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Paul wrote these words to Timothy from the sidelines. He was imprisoned in Rome, locked away from the church and the ministry he loved. When Onesiphorus visited Rome, he had to search diligently to find Paul (2 Tim. 1:17). In Second Timothy, Paul expresses loneliness for his companions and at the same time confidence in his own final victory. He realizes his work is nearly finished. His course has been run, and his crown is almost in view. The precious work of spreading the gospel and strengthening the church must be left to younger men like Timothy.

Paul was familiar with soldiers. Roman soldiers had rescued him, guarded the prisons where he was held, and brought him to Rome. The Roman military machine projected its might from Spain to Arabia. Its martial principles of training, discipline, and cooperation had not only conquered but still governed a diverse and far-flung empire.

The life of a soldier requires discipline, skill, and commitment. An effective army requires constant, focused training. The outcome of a battle is not really determined the day it happens—the hour of victory is usually the culmination of many hours of intense preparation. Similarly, defeat is often the result of failing to practice and prepare.

Roman soldiers were full-time soldiers. They were not allowed to have sideline businesses or farms. They received a salary and a ration, and career soldiers were often given land when they retired. During their service, the military supplied all their needs, but it required their entire commitment. In return for the benefits of military service, they gave up their own agendas.

A soldier cannot expect to spend his life in a single place or station. He cannot count on his work coming to him. Instead, he must be available to go where his service is needed. An entangled soldier is one caught up with interests other than the occupation at hand, distracted by the business and pleasure of life: his own. A fully committed soldier is part of something far bigger and grander than himself. Along with his comrades, he is the strength and defense of his country, a force that can turn the tide of history. Not merely his life, but the future of families, communities, and nations depend on his personal commitment.

Practical Truths for Today

Man’s basic needs are food, shelter, and clothing. In the soldier’s life described above, the army supplies those needs. The soldier is free to serve his country, knowing that what he needs will be there when he needs it, yet somewhere in the background, a seamstress is making uniforms, and a baker is mixing bread. These unknown workers may not be soldiers, but they are a vital part of the army.

Food will not appear on our tables by simply praying the right words. Our children will likely not be sheltered and clothed by angelic intervention. Paul told the Ephesians, “These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me” (Acts 20:34). We, too, must minister to these needs. It is part of the divine plan.

Beside the physical needs, we have other necessities to meet. To maintain emotional and mental health, we need social interaction, friendships, and a sense of purpose. Food for our minds is just as vital as food for our bodies. Together, our physical and emotional needs form the affairs of life, and we cannot sidestep them. Our challenge is to handle them without becoming spiritually entangled in them.

Our basic needs are simple. Simple meals, simple homes, uncomplicated businesses, and friendships may not be all we want, but they are all we need. Martha found herself “cumbered about much serving” (Luke 10:40). Like her, many of us may not be involved with evil things, but we tend to be cumbered with too many good things.

The World Wide Web is aptly named. The internet and other technology have ensnared many millions of people. Of course, many good things are accomplished by using technology. That is part of the danger inherent in “timesaving” devices. We use them for legitimate purposes, but then, far too often, we don’t lay them down.

Social networks, websites, and news apps are designed to attract and hold our attention. Often, they track what has captured our attention in the past, and they dangle more of the same in front of us every time we let them. Ask yourself, “How much time do I really need on my phone?” Then compare it with how much time you actually spend. Are you entangled?

Money, or perhaps the love of money, is a source of entanglement for far too many Christians. Like technology, money pervades every part of our lives. We can’t get away from it, and we can’t do without it. But by God’s grace, we can use it without being entangled. We need not have lots of money to be ensnared by it. Debt, especially credit card debt, can quickly weave a constricting tangle of bills and due dates around us. When our desires get ahead of our income, entanglement ensues. “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Prov. 22:7). Debt is not evil of itself. It can be a good thing for a young person or a couple to discipline themselves to meet a monthly payment, but we should go into debt cautiously and handle it carefully. “The abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep” (Eccles. 5:12). When goods and bank account balances increase, they require more and more of our time to manage them. Our thoughts and conversations often reveal our entanglement. Market prices, tax strategies, business conferences, customer expectations, and more take up our time and mental energy. If Jesus would pause by the ship of our material affairs and say, “I will make you fishers of men,” what answer would we give Him?

“A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). Hobbies, home decorating, landscaping, gourmet cooking, and many more apparently harmless activities add interest and spice to our lives. They can also ensnare us. Asceticism and austerity are not an accurate portrayal of Christian virtues (Col. 2:20-23), but neither is self-indulgence. To the extent that these activities promote pride and self-centeredness, they are a snare instead of a benefit. “Let your moderation be known unto all men” (Phil. 4:5).

Human relationships probably create greater entanglements than all our other affairs combined. Fear of what others may think has sidelined many thousands of Christian warriors. The din of family activities can deafen our ears to the cry from the mission fields. Social life can take the place of devotional time. Cliques and social exclusivity create gaps in our lines that the enemy sneaks through. All the ways that human relationships can entangle us could not be listed.

Young people are probably the least prone to entanglement, but they can also be crippled by social and relationship issues. Self-consciousness can wrap a youth into such a tight little cocoon that he or she can hardly move. Fashion is another web that lures both old and young into an expensive and endless struggle toward irrelevance.

Finally, we can be entangled in too much responsibility. As Jethro told Moses, “Thou wilt surely wear away: . . . this thing is too heavy for thee” (Exod. 18:18). Some of us have a hard time saying no. Saying yes too many times (to man instead of God) can wind us up until we are so tied up we are tied down.

As we have seen, entanglement requires no effort at all; it just happens. We’ve all been there. But what does an unentangled life look like?

An unentangled Christian soldier is clear on priorities. The voice and commandment of God will always have first place in life’s decisions. An old hymn says, “I would be prayerful thru each busy moment; I would be constantly in touch with God; I would be tuned to hear the slightest whisper.” 1 This God-consciousness is not only proof of our freedom, but it is also our best protection against becoming entangled.

An unentangled life loves to spend quiet time with God. This quiet time will include daily feeding (not merely reading) from God’s Word. This is time with our Commander; it is the hour when orders for the day are given.

An unentangled warrior has a clean conscience. There is no fretting guilt at the back of his mind, no small disobediences that nag away her peace. At the same time, there is complete forgiveness for everyone else. Forgiving and forgiven, when combined with prompt obedience, is a simple, uncomplicated way to live and serve. Of course, being simple doesn’t mean it will be easy.

Jesus tells us plainly that “no man can serve two masters” (Matt. 6:24). If we attempt to serve both God and our carnal affairs, we will find life complicated, frustrating, and unsatisfying. We will be unable to do justice to either side of a divided heart. To drop our nets and follow Jesus will lead us to a life that is fulfilling, abundant, rewarding, and eternal.

Illustration

When Great Britain declared war on Germany in 1914, hundreds of thousands of young Canadians rushed to volunteer their service. Historians and cynics may debate their various motives, but the fact remains that they went of their own free will; no one required it of them. Many thousands of them never returned.

As followers of Jesus, our warfare is not a battle of grenades, guns, and trenches, yet it is just as real as any conflict between earthly armies has ever been. As many martyrs have shown us, to defend the faith is not for the fainthearted and partially committed. It is a job for volunteers, not for conscripts.

We can expect that Christian life will be a battle, at times intense beyond our strength. We can expect wounds, defeats, failures, and scars, but if we are fully committed, we can be absolutely assured of final triumph!

Questions

1. How much debt is appropriate for a Christian? How much wealth?
2. What kinds of entanglement might tempt retired seniors?
3. Does an unfilled mission post mean that somewhere there is an entangled soldier?
4. Is excessive preoccupation with health a form of entanglement?
5. 1 Howard A. Walter, “I Would Be True,” Public Domain Hymns, www.pdhymns.com

Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).