2 Timothy 2.1-7 (ESV)
2.1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
One of the things which deeply disappoints me are sports scandals where athletes or teams get caught cheating; deflated footballs, throwing games or matches, using drugs to enhance performances, scuffing a baseball, taking a dive in a game to win a penalty, catching a ride in a bus to win a marathon (actually happened!)
All of those things are shortcuts in order to win.
Does a person really “win” when they take a shortcut? I think most of us would argue “no.” Those that truly win are the ones who are disciplined, focused, work hard, and don’t take any shortcuts.
I think we could sum up Paul’s instructions to Timothy in this passage by saying, “There are no shortcuts.” Paul uses three awesome images to encourage Timothy to be disciplined, focused, and obedient when it comes to pursuing his relationship with Christ, his ministry, and his leadership as he shares Jesus with a culture that resists the Gospel.
The soldier can’t take any shortcuts. They must stay focused and disciplined, following the direction of their commander, and not let themselves get distracted by other outside influences.
The athlete can’t take any shortcuts either. There are rules they must follow as they compete.
The same is true for the farmer. In Paul’s context, most farmers didn’t own the land, they just worked the land for the landlord and the landlord owned the crop. The landlord often only gave the workers a small share. Paul is arguing here from natural logic that the hard-working farmer deserves the first share of what is produced.
The point that Paul is making to Timothy is that there are no shortcuts: don’t be distracted, focus, work hard, be disciplined, and stay on track. Don’t expect that you’ll get praised, win, or have a harvest for doing nothing. Paul then applies those images to our relationship with Christ.
Through these images Paul is saying don’t expect to have a relationship with Jesus and not have to do any work. Like any relationship that matters to you, you’re going to have to pay attention to Jesus and work on your relationship with Him if you expect that relationship to flourish and have deep meaning, significance, and importance. A relationship with Jesus is not one-sided where Jesus does all the work while we do nothing to pursue Him.
If you want the rewards that come from a full and personal relationship with Jesus, then dig in, do those things which are necessary to thrive in your faith, and relentlessly pursue your relationship with Jesus. Truly, it’s a matter of simple and continual obedience.
That’s not what most of our culture wants to hear these days. We live in a culture where there is the growing expectation that it should just be given to us and we should be praised, thanked, and rewarded for doing the minimum.
When I look at how Paul is encouraging Timothy in these verses, I think of words like “effort,” “struggle,” “strain” and “suffering.”
If we are to truly live for Christ, if we really desire that fullness of a dynamic relationship with Jesus, and if we want to see our churches and our young people have a vital and vibrant faith in Christ, then we need to dig in, we need to do what’s necessary, to strain, struggle, and even suffer (and we will) as we relentlessly pursue knowing, loving, serving, and following Jesus, not just in our own personal lives, but outwardly as we persistently, patiently, gently, and inexorably come alongside others helping them see, know, and experience the amazing love and grace we have through Jesus Christ our Lord.
I can’t help but think of Paul’s words to the Thessalonians as he talks about his ministry with them. He described his relationship with the Thessalonians as one where he came alongside them, encouraging, comforting, and at times authoritatively charging them to live for Christ (1 Thess2.11-12).
That kind of relationship requires work, effort, patience, discipline, and compassion. It requires you as a maturing believer (not in age but in a growing relationship with Jesus) to be faithful to Jesus who gave us the Great Commission to be His sent missional people in His world.
Who is the Lord leading you to come alongside, to encourage, and to mentor in faith?
God bless you and know that you are prayed for constantly.
Scott