A Veteran’s Day Devotional

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2:3-4

³ Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.⁴ No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer.

Someone once wrote:

• It is the veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
• It is the veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
• It is the veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
• It is the veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
• It is the veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.

What does it take to become a good soldier, a Veteran?

In 2 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul says “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:3-4 NKJV).

1. You can’t become a Veteran if you don’t To enlist is a life-changing decision.  Becoming a believer is also a life-changing decision.
2. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me but loves his father, mother, wife, children,  brothers, or sisters or even life more than me, he cannot be my follower. Whoever is not willing to carry his cross and follow me cannot be my follower” (Luke 14:26-27 NCV).

A Veteran has ENDURANCE.

1. As Paul told Timothy, “You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”.
2. In James 1:2-3 (NLT) reminds us, “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

A Veteran must ENGAGE in warfare.

1. The Apostle Paul explains, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NIV).
2. In other words, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we must be prepared to engage in spiritual warfare. We battle temptation. We stand opposed to false religions and worldviews that are hostile toward Christianity.

Paul also reminds us a Veteran must avoid ENTANGLEMENT

1. Military personnel are expected to be completely committed to their country and to allow nothing to prevent them from performing their duties.
2. We need to be careful about the things we let distract us from Jesus. As Paul has said elsewhere, “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8 NLT).

Keep your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Protector of our faith.

written by Major Jacki Blanchard, Social Ministries Department, USA East