I cannot make it through the day without leaning on the grace of Jesus Christ. It’s often the first thing I think of before stepping out of bed in the morning. I’m sure Paul was the same way. In 2 Timothy 2:1–7, he seeks to comfort Timothy with words on grace and living the Christian life.
That constant grace
The good news about the grace we find in Jesus Christ is that it’s constant. We are the variable and we need to adjust our lives every day and every hour to realize the grace we’re living in. That’s the essence of ministry: to be strengthened in the grace of Jesus Christ. How comforting those words must have been to Timothy who was in a hard place! His mentor, Paul, is writing 2 Timothy from prison and we can assume he was under quite a bit of opposition, trying to lead the church in Ephesus.
In verses three through six, Paul gives Timothy three analogies: be like a solider, be like an athlete, and be like a farmer.
Soldier
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” 2 Timothy 2:3–4
If you’re a student of history, you know that war is hell on earth. Living the Christian life is like being at war. You’re going to suffer and you’re going to be persecuted, but remember whom you’re fighting for: Jesus Christ. If you know anything about soldiers, they’re loyal and focused on the commander. They don’t get distracted. This is exactly how a Christian who is on mission should live.
Athlete
“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:6
An Olympic athlete in Roman times had to prove he had trained for 10 months in his sport before he was given the opportunity to compete. It might not sound like a lot now in the day of professional athletes, but in that time it was a big deal. Like a soldier, an athlete is very disciplined in his training and how he conducts every aspect of his life, from what he eats to how much he sleeps.
Farmer
“It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.” 2 Timothy 2:7
A farmer works from sunup to sundown, everyday of the year. Doesn’t that sound a lot like ministry, hard and never ending? When does the farmer stop being a farmer? Never. Just like the Christian who is on mission.
Paul was keenly aware what it took to survive in ministry and he passed those lessons on to Timothy. The number one priority is that it takes the grace of God to live the Christian life. After that, you need to be loyal to Jesus and the mission, disciplined, and work exceedingly hard.
Questions
- Are you being strengthened? How? We can’t be spiritually dry. We need to be strengthened in the grace that is in Jesus.
- Are you loyal? Loyalty often leads to longevity. Be loyal to the people Jesus loves.
- Are you disciplined? Like the athlete, refine what is critical and important in your life.
- Are you working hard? It’s Jesus’ love for us that compels us to work hard.
This is Pastor Dave’s third post on 2 Timothy. You can read the first two posts here and here.
