Learning To Serve, Even When It’s Inconvenient

In summary of 2 Timothy 2:4 it says,

“No soldier when in service gets entangled in the enterprises of civilian life; his aim is to satisfy and please the one who enlisted him.”

Bottom Line:

Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

What this means to me:

If I am to be a true follower and soldier for Christ then I should avoid getting tied up and occupied with the worldly things that don’t really matter.  If I allow myself to get occupied with these things then I won’t have time to do the things God has planned for me.  My ultimate goal is to bring honor to God in what I do.  So like a soldier who has dedicated himself to serving, I will attempt to not become occupied with outside things.  I will concentrate on carrying out orders in order to please the one who has enlisted me.  In practicality, as a servant for Him I need to make myself available to serve and not fill up my time with other pursuits that could limit my availability.  I need to leave a margin so that I can be ready to jump into service when called on.  And much like a soldier, I must always be standing by for duty and not only when it's convenient for me.  A real servant will do what's needed, even when it's inconvenient. So today I ask myself, am I willing to be available to God anytime?  Will I allow him to mess up my plans without becoming resentful? I want to remember that I belong to him and I don't always get to pick and choose when or where I will serve.  I also need to remember that I need to give up the right to control my schedule and allow God to interrupt it whenever he needs to.  I will add to my Q.T and prayer list a reminder that I’m God's servant, so his interruptions won't frustrate me.  I will make my agenda to be willing to do whatever God wants to bring into my life.  I will strive to see interruptions as divine appointments for ministry and to be thankful for the opportunity to serve Him.