Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:3-4)
I remember very clearly as a member of the military preparing to go to war in Afghanistan that one of the most important aspects of our pre-deployment preparations was to “set our affairs in order.” Taking the time to prepare a will, have the appropriate “power of attorney” papers drawn up for your spouse, and arranging for somebody to drive your vehicle occasionally so the battery doesn’t die, etc.
Preparing in this way is essential. It allows you to feel a sense of comfort knowing that everything is taken care of. It’s impossible to fight a war if you’re worried that your wife isn’t taken care of if you die. To me, this sort of worry is the type of entanglement to which Paul is alluding. As spiritual warriors, we need to have our “affairs” in order as well.
Financial order: Many of us have a heart for the nations and debt up to our eyeballs. We couldn’t go if we wanted to because our financial house is not in order. It’s time for the body of Christ to begin to accept the responsibility of the call to disciple nations, which includes eliminating debt and utilizing our resources for the Kingdom. I’m as guilty as the next guy about spending my money on stuff I don’t need. I really want this new distortion pedal for my guitar, but it doesn’t help me meet my goals of going to the nations. You get the point.
Last Will and Testament: If you’ve read the end of The Book, then you know that some of us are not coming back from the missions field. I don’t mean to be morbid, but it’s foolishness not to be prepared for the possibility of martyrdom. Execute a will. Make sure your family is taken care of before you take off on the great adventure. You’ll feel a lot better later for having done this now.
Shot Records and Passports: It’s an extremely practical thing, but we need to be ready to get on a plane at a moments notice and travel the globe for the Gospel. I’ve already missed one good opportunity to go to the Nations by not having my passport ready to go. It can sometimes take weeks to get an appointment to get immunizations for the various diseases found in Africa, so you’ll probably want to go ahead and get it taken care of.
This stuff sounds easy, but it’s a major pain if you don’t have a plan to have it taken care of by the time your opportunity arrives. Get it done, soldier.
