No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2:4
“Let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the “cause”, in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce…
The attitude which you want to guard against is that in which temporal affairs are treated primarily as material for obedience. Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing.
Provided that meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades, matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity, he is ours — and the more “religious” (on those terms) the more securely ours. I could show you a pretty cageful down here.”
Uncle Screwtape (Senior Devil) to Wormwood (Junior Devil) in Screwtape Letters: Letters from a Senior to a Junior Devil, by C.S. Lewis (Quebec: Samizdat University Press, 2016) 14.
Shout out to our daughter, Sophie, and her husband, Peter, today. Happy First Anniversary! She enjoys the writings of C.S. Lewis, so I am sure she will love this post!
And my pastor, James Hoxworth, quoted this on Sunday. It’s perfect for Inauguration Day when many may be tempted to become “under the influence” of a political cause.
Today is a change in power in America. The country is divided. Some are rejoicing, some are in the middle reflecting, and others are revolting.
But I suggest we focus on remembering something bigger. We are in a spiritual battle. The forces of evil celebrate if our focus shifts from Christ to anything else.
What suffers if we lose our focus? According to Lewis, our prayers, sacraments, and charity drop off. That means our generosity suffers!
As good soldiers, let’s focus on our Lord Jesus Christ alone, and obey His instructions daily, while while serving, giving, and praying for those He has put in authority.
While we do this, that is when we keep our focus, political leaders will come and go and regimes will rise and fall, but we will serve as a constant witness to Christ.
Don’t let Screwtape and Wormwood trick you to be “under the influence.”