Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not easy. Jesus never said it was. In fact, He warned His disciples they would be hated by some people simply for being a Christian.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you (Jn 15:18-20).

As Satan’s primary targets in the spiritual war, pastors are often in the most dangerous zones of the battle. But we are in good company. The bodily pain endured by our faithful forefathers is almost indescribable. Some heroes of the faith “were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated” (Hebrews 11:37). Therefore, Paul called the young pastor Timothy to “suffer hardship.” The phrase means to bear evil treatment along with someone else. In Timothy’s case, he was to not be ashamed of the gospel of his Lord. Instead he needed to be willing to be treated poorly alongside the apostle “as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” This, of course, is not self-inflicted suffering because of acting like an idiot, being a lousy soldier, or for showing disrespect to a commanding officer. If a pastor suffers for his own wrongdoing, there is nothing to glory in, “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not feel ashamed, but in that name let him glorify God” (1 Pet. 4:16). That is what good soldiers do.

Timothy needed to be reminded that being a soldier in the Christian army meant that he was not going to be able to live like everybody else. He was in “active service.” He could not entangle himself in “the affairs of everyday life.” To be entangled means to be entwined or woven into. Therefore, Timothy’s commitments as a soldier did not allow him to be woven into, or bound to, the details of everyday living. He needed to live above that so that he could please his Commanding Officer. In other words, there is a price to pay for being a good soldier.

Being a good Christian soldier requires that we not fall in love with the things of this world that may entangle us and trip us up and result in failing to please our Commanding Officer.

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

...for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica (2 Tim 4:10).

Fellow pastors, our flesh does not like suffering, but we must endure it with joy. If we do wrong and are penalized for it then we must take it like men without complaining. Do not feel sorry for yourself or act in self-pity in order to gain the sympathy of others. However, if you are treated poorly for being a faithful preacher then receive that with joy too, knowing all the while that God’s gaze is more important than man’s approval. Above all, be faithful to the Word of Christ and the Christ of the Word.