2 Timothy 2:4 NIV – ‘No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs…’
2 Timothy 2:4 KJV– ‘No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…’
How do you know if you’re becoming too materialistic? How do you recognize when natural possessions have become too important? Today, let’s answer those questions!
In 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul wrote, “No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life…” The word “entangleth” in this verse describes a person who is entangled in their lower garments or caught in some type of vine. Visualize a runner running a good race until his floppy, dangling garments get all knotted with and wrapped around his legs — as a result, he breaks pace and may very well lose the entire race.
The word “entangleth” is the same word used in Matthew 27:29 to describe how the Roman soldiers assembled Jesus’ crown of thorns! That verse says, “And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head…”
Think for a moment. How did the soldiers “plait” a crown of thorns? They took vines loaded with sharp, dangerous thorns and carefully wove them together until it formed a tightly woven, dangerous circle resembling the shape of a crown. It was this kind of crown that the soldiers violently pressed on Jesus’ head. What I want you to understand from this example is that the word “entangleth” describes something that has to be woven together intricately and tightly.
Now let’s circle back to the question about materialism. There is nothing wrong with owning nice things. In fact, God wants to bless us with nice things. The difference between unbelievers and believers is that we should not allow material possessions to become so ingrained in our hearts that they take center focus.
Our souls, emotions, and desires should not be dependent or greatly influenced by the things of this world. Ultimately, Paul uses the word “entangleth” to tell us that as committed Christians, we don’t have time to get too involved or intertwined with matters that are relatively unimportant in light of eternity.
Can you give up your material possessions if the Lord asked you to? Or have they become so woven into the very fabric of your life that parting with them would be like a band-aid that tears skin away as it comes off? Only you and the Holy Spirit know the truth.
Do everything in your power to keep the temporal things of this world in the right perspective. Keep them in your hands and out of your heart. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you areas of your life that need to be untangled. When God frees you, it’s up to you to STAY untangled from the natural affairs of life!
PRAYER: Lord, help me to keep my heart free from the things of this world. You have called me to be a committed and focused Christian soldier. I cannot permit anything to ensnare, entrap, and thus distract me from the good fight of faith You’ve called me to fight and win. You reveal the secrets of men’s hearts, so reveal to me any areas in my soul where I have allowed something to entrap me so greatly that it threatens to eliminate me from the fight. In Jesus’ name, Amen.