ECIPLESHIP for Passionate Christ-Followers

2 Timothy 2:3, 8-10:

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. …8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

A soldier suffers for a bigger cause. And suffering is part of the equation when you’re a soldier.

My son, Erik, is a member of the Army National Guard. He recently attended an advanced man-to-man combat training program where he earned a Marshall Arts degree. I have come to admire him so much for his willingness to suffer simply because he’s a soldier. In this week of advanced training, he tells of being pulverized by guys nearly a hundred pounds more than him. Out of twenty six soldiers, only twenty graduated. The others came home with broken body parts and torn tendons. The assaults were brutal, but with determination to persevere, he finished the course. Why? Because he’s a soldier and soldiers do this stuff.

Scripture tells us to “suffer as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Be tough! Be strong! Persevere! This is what soldiers do…and they do it for a higher purpose. They always need to be ready for battle so that their side wins.

By the way, soldiers never fight alone. They train together, fight together, and suffer together.

The Apostle Paul, who penned the above Bible passage, then tells us how he has applied this to his life. Do you see it? “I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned. For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.”

This Christ warrior is so gripped with his purpose in life that suffering makes sense! Most of us don’t have such a good handle on this aspect of life. We often live for ourselves and our personal pursuits rather than for the purposes of God. His transcendent purposes are more compelling and life-giving than anything we can ever manufacture.

When you have been gripped with the higher purposes of God for your life, suffering begins to make sense. It’s not about you…not even in hardship.