Suffering like a good soldier - Part 1

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

1979 - Serving National Service
 as  Officer-In-Charge
Chong Pang Police Station
In Singapore, every able male who reaches the age of eighteen, will have to undergo compulsory national service, in one of the armed services of our country. Its the time "when boys become men." In my case, I was privileged to serve as a police inspector in the police force whilst many of my contemporaries were conscripted into the army. For me it was one of the most memorable times of my life. Unfortunately for my friends in the army, it was a time of suffering and hard physical training. 


In the passage, Paul likens a christian to a soldier. Not jut a soldier but a good soldier. And he highlights three features that distinguishes a good soldier from a bad one.

A good solider endures suffering.   Paul tells Timothy to join him in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Paul has had his measure of sufferings. In 2 Cor 11:23-28, Paul narrates his sufferings for the course of the gospel. Contrary to what many prosperity gospel preachers would like us to think, no where in the Bible do I read that Christians will be spared from suffering. In fact Jesus said in John 16:33 - In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. The issue is not the suffering but rather our response to it. A good soldier endures for the sake of  Christ. James tell us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials." Acts 5:41 - And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. If you are discouraged that you have been suffering so long, remember that Christ also suffered for you and me. Isaiah 53:3-5 - He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God,stricken by him, and afflicted.But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Suffering are designed to strengthen our faith, draw us closer to God, make  us dependent on God, bring joy and fulfill God's purposes and plans in our lives. Whilst the bad solider complains, frets, questions God, blames everyone else and sometimes even doubts God, let us be like Paul and the saints who counted it worthy to suffer for Him. How long then do I have to endure? As long as God allows it to continue. 
The question then beckons, in my suffering can I lift up my hands and with a free heart say like Job, "The Lord gave and the Lord took. Blessed be the Name of the Lord."
 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 23, 2012 at 2:35 PM

    Look So difference. Wow!
    I like to end my life as a good soilder for Christ.
    Thanks.
    sam

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"It is finished" - Jesus Christ

Image
John 19:30 - When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. It's Good Friday again. The world pauses and recollects the events that changed the course of history. For me it was a time to reflect on the finished work of our Lord on the cross. He paid the price for my redemption. But it dawned on me that Jesus, himself, had a task to do while on this earth, He was on a mission. There was a time frame. There was a script to follow. In military terms , there was an objective he had to capture. Anything short would have been a disaster. But towards the end, in spite of the agony at Gethsemane, the unfair trail, humiliating and torturous journey via Dalarosa, Jesus cried, "It is finished". What an achievement. What a fitting eulogy.  Jesus was faithful to His mission - Hebrew 3:2 Jesus was focused on His mission - Luke 9:51 Jesus finished His mission - John 19:30  Judas towards th
Read more

What a trip to Nepal

Image
I am sitting at the airport restaurant in Kathmandu, checked in and waiting for my departure to New Delhi and from there, onward to Singapore.  Just sipping and enjoying the Americano coffee and a slice of cheese cake as I reminiscent my last nine days in Nepal. It has been a incredibly tough trip but one filled with joy, great satisfaction and challenges. Tough because of the bad roads, tracks and mountain trekking that really tested my endurance and my back was sore.  Couple of knocks on the head as the vehicle danced to the tune of the undulating terrain. Days when I had terrible diarrhoea, running from one mountain toilet to another. Thank God I had Dr Mike Ong on this trip who is a medical doctor from Singapore, who attended to my condition. Times when we had to sleep on the cold floor with thin sheets of cloth, with rodents in the vicinity. Temperatures dropped to a low of 10-12 degrees centigrde in the nights. Eating the food offered by the villagers as we were up in the mounta
Read more

Devotion - Psalms 44: 6-7 - Its God who gives the victory

Image
Psalms 44:6-7 - I put no trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. Any soldier will know that the basic weapon of warfare, in those days, were the bow and sword. Without which no soldier will not venture into the battle field. Even the famed Goliath was geared in full battle order when he faced David with the stones and the sling. Isn't it a paradox then that David, one of the finest soldiers Israel had ever produced, proclaims that its not the bow and the sword that gives the victory. Its is the Lord, Jehovah, that gives the victory. I don't think David is trying to say that we should not prepare ourselves for warfare. His concern is that we recognize that ultimately its the Lord that gives the victory. A few things we need to remember: Human efforts are necessary in the God-man partnership Human efforts alone does not guarantee God intended results Recognize that its God that always gives u
Read more