| Photo by Nghia Le on Unsplash
Paul writes from prison to Timothy and tells him that to be a follower of Jesus, you need to be ready and prepared for struggles, suffering, and stress in following Jesus. Too many followers want a Jesus to make their lives easy, comfortable, and happy.
But Paul writes and tells us very clearly: “Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.” We live in this world, but we must learn to please God in all areas of our lives.
We need to be involved in the things of this world, but we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We need followers of Jesus in every area of life, from schools, politics, city, government, military, and business to glorify God.
But we must realize that we must take a stand for Jesus and be an ambassador of Jesus to our sphere of influence. As a follower of Jesus, we may face suffering, heartache, and rejection, but we are ready and prepared for every situation.
Today, help me to be a good soldier who lives to please my Heavenly Commander!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Church (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
