2 Timothy 2:1

 2 Timothy 2:1 says, Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  Paul called on Timothy to be strong in the grace of God which came by His sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins.  We are still under the grace of God today if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord and we need to be strong under that grace.  The grace of God that saved us will also sustain us if we only live by faith.  

Verse two adds, And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  Paul said that Timothy was to commit the things that he had heard from Paul, concerning salvation through faith in Jesus Christ I believe and obedience to God through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and from others, to faithful men.  He was to do this so that they would be able to teach others.  As followers of Christ, we are to know that God’s word is the truth and teach it to other Christians so that they might teach it to others as well.  This is the way the truth of God has always spread.  If we don’t share the gospel with others, it will one day no longer be known.  

Verse three continues, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  aul calls on Timothy to endure hardness like a good soldier.  Paul does not promise Timothy wealth and pleasure in life, but hardship and suffering for the gospel's sake instead.  This should be our understanding of living the Chrisitan life today.  We are called to battle against the forces of evil as a part of the army of God.  

Verse four concludes, 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.  Paul said that a good soldier didn’t entangle himself in the affairs of life so that he could please the one who had called him to be a soldier.   I don’t believe that Paul meant that Timothy wasn’t to at all be involved in the affairs of this life, but that he wasn’t to allow them to keep him from doing what God had called him to do.  Some people believe that this means we aren't to be involved with the affairs of the government while they are still entangled with other material things in life, but I believe that it means we aren’t to allow anything in the world to entangle us so much that we are not faithful to God.  We are to live to please the One Who has called us, Jesus Christ, but we have to be aware of what is going on in the world around us to do so.