“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2 Timothy 2:4)
There was plenty of “bad stuff” happening in the world in Paul’s day. His advice to Timothy was to stay above it in the same way Jesus told His disciples to “let the dead bury the dead.”
Politicians live for the interests and concerns of the populace. Their minds are focused on how current events are affecting the society they live in. The believer is to know there is an ongoing battle in the world, but he is not wrestling against flesh and blood. He serves the interests of Him who has chosen him to be a soldier. He must be about his Father’s business.
If we are to please our Commander, we cannot entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life. Such drains us of the resources needed to “fight” elsewhere. Every controversy and crisis of the moment, which has all the world abuzz and frenzied with excitement, is not to be on our radar screen, taking up our mental space and emotional energy. God has other, more pressing, business for us to attend to.
If our lives are going to count for eternity we must stay focused on the eternal. The Lord of hosts has plenty of assignments to give out. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Isa. 6:8)
If God called men to leave behind their nets and their oxen, how much more should we let go of the fascinations that keep us bound to the inconsequential? Not only are our bodies to be presented to God as a living sacrifice, but we honor Him also by giving Him our minds. When we do so, He gives us a laser focus for the things we should be caught up in. Stay at attention, soldier.