Introduction
Paul continuously exhorts Timothy to become a good workman. He made some comparison of a good workman to some profession that shows how we should become in the eyes of God.
This passage tells us three comparisons to complete a good workman in the Lord. First, we are to become a good soldier of Christ. We are a part of God’s battalion in spiritual realm. This is our main role as becoming a part of God’s community. We are bound to protect it do everything we can to stand on our ground. In addition to this, becoming a good soldier teaches us loyalty and commitment.
Secondly, we are to become a good athlete. Being an athlete helps us to be become disciplined children of God. It teaches us to follow and obey God set standards he wants us to be more zealous and focus to win the prize.
Third, this passage teaches us to become a good farmer. A good farmer labors hard and gives all his efforts to plant seeds and hope for the near future that a good harvest will come. This is what we are supposed to become.
As A Soldier
A Good Soldier Is Enduring
All soldiers were trained to endure all the hardships. Training does not end as long as they are soldiers. They do this to maintain their stamina. Most soldiers undergo hard trainings and they do almost all kinds of exercises and hard physical trainings. They do push-ups, jogging, jumping jack, boxing, sparring, sit ups, etc.
They undergo hard trainings like rappelling, crossing using only one rope, snake crawling, and all the necessary trainings to become a fitted soldier. Each soldier has to endure hardships. Either they become soldiers or quit. There were many who quits, and there were also who endures.
A Good Soldier Has Loyalty and Commitment
In becoming a good soldier, absolute loyalty to his commanding officer is a must. Each soldier disqualifies himself as a good soldier whenever they disobey their commanding officer. They were court martial if they try to disobey direct command.
Well, of course, there were many incidents in our world that soldier disobeys their commanding officers. But all these are due to corruptions of the commanding officers and the soldiers themselves.
In heavenly realms however, our Commander In Chief does not have any form of corruption, the Perfect One, without a blemish, and without unworthiness. This is why our absolute obedience and loyalty is much needed. If there is any corruption that exists, that corruption never came from the giver of life, but from our human nature, and of the rebellion of the destroyer of life.
A good soldier does not betray the authority over them. They do not abuse the said authority instead they keep it sacred and a must to follow by everyone. They see to it that they obey every inch of commands given to them by their superior officer. They do everything to carry it out.
A Good Soldier Desire To Please His Commanding Officer
No soldier desire to disappoint their commanding officer. They carry out the commands even if their lives are at stake. Even if endangers their very own self, and sometimes even their families, they will do whatever their officer commanded them to do.
Submission to them is a way of life. It is something that they must live for, something that they must keep. Displeasing their commanding officer results to sanctions and discipline. Sometimes, it even results to taking away their assignments from them and giving them a dishonorable discharge.
As An Athlete
A Good Athlete Competes According To The Rules
No athlete is to violate the rules set by the game masters. In every race or in any competition, there is always a set of rules. They are not to violate it or else they will be disqualified and out from the game. An athlete always sees to it that he is following the rules.
Game rules are set of standards of the game for the competitors to follow. Most of these rules are for fair competition while other rules are for the safety of the spectators. Without rules, the game would be chaotic, full or cheating and unfair fighting. While other violations results to accidents, severe injuries and even deaths to both athletes and spectators. To avoid all these, each athlete should follow carefully all the rules of the game.
This is almost the same in our Christian lives. The Holy Bible gave us certain rules to follow so that we will not be disqualifying ourselves from the competition of life. Any violations may result to chaos inside the community of God, divisions, accidents, severe injuries and even deaths of our spiritual lives. I am not talking about salvation, I am referring to our very Christian lives that once very active, not it is as cold as dead.
Backsliders are usually a result of violations of these rules. Only some of them were able to go back into the fellowship while many of them fell cold dead in their spiritual struggle. They are good as being disqualified from the spiritual competition of life.
A Good Athlete Focus To Win The Prize
Every athlete competes to win the prize at the end of the race. Any athlete whose goal is not to win the prize fails and defeated in the great competition. In our world, some fights for honor, while others for glory. This is the real prize for them. The thing is, they can never get the prize without following the rules and without winning the competition. The key in doing this is to focus on the prize.
Having no focus, some athletes unknowingly commits violation of the game which also disqualifies them to the great race. Therefore, it is important to have focus, seeing to it that each rule is being followed carefully.
In the great race of our spiritual lives, there are many temptations along the way. Some offers rest, some offers enjoyment, some offers our favorite thing to do, and some discourages us to not make it hard for us to compete tempting us to stop in winning the race. This is why the ratio of those who continues and those who fails this great race is 1 out of 4.
This means that, if there are four competitors, only one will finish the race, the one who focuses in winning the prize. Some disqualified themselves in violating rules while others just stopped competing.
As A Farmer
A Good Farmer Work Hard To Have A Good Harvest
There is no farmer who does not work. A farmer works in sowing, planting, and taking good care of his crops. But guess what, a good farmer not just work, he works hard. He sees to it that his plants are well watered and well cultivated. He takes good care of his crop examining each plant to be sure that it is free of any pests.
He adds fertilizers to ensure that his plants grow healthy hoping that it will produce good fruits. Some farmers regularly trim their plants and take out dead leaves so that the plants may produce more fruits.
All of us are like farmers. The question for us in being a farmer is whether we are a “hard working” farmer, or just a regular farmer. If we are a hard working farmer, then we can surely expect a bountiful harvest ahead of us.
Some Christians never enjoy being a good Christian because they never work hard in cultivating their spiritual lives. God already gave us all the tools that we need. He also gave us people who can train us in cultivating our Christian lives. Unfortunately, many Christians refrain from working hard. This results to a very poor harvest. Which now is better, to be contented with a few harvest, or to be contented with a bountiful harvest?
A Hard Working Farmer Enjoys His Harvest
Paul continuously exhorts Timothy to become a good workman. He made some comparison of a good workman to some profession that shows how we should become in the eyes of God.
This passage tells us three comparisons to complete a good workman in the Lord. First, we are to become a good soldier of Christ. We are a part of God’s battalion in spiritual realm. This is our main role as becoming a part of God’s community. We are bound to protect it do everything we can to stand on our ground. In addition to this, becoming a good soldier teaches us loyalty and commitment.
Secondly, we are to become a good athlete. Being an athlete helps us to be become disciplined children of God. It teaches us to follow and obey God set standards he wants us to be more zealous and focus to win the prize.
Third, this passage teaches us to become a good farmer. A good farmer labors hard and gives all his efforts to plant seeds and hope for the near future that a good harvest will come. This is what we are supposed to become.
As A Soldier
A Good Soldier Is Enduring
All soldiers were trained to endure all the hardships. Training does not end as long as they are soldiers. They do this to maintain their stamina. Most soldiers undergo hard trainings and they do almost all kinds of exercises and hard physical trainings. They do push-ups, jogging, jumping jack, boxing, sparring, sit ups, etc.
They undergo hard trainings like rappelling, crossing using only one rope, snake crawling, and all the necessary trainings to become a fitted soldier. Each soldier has to endure hardships. Either they become soldiers or quit. There were many who quits, and there were also who endures.
A Good Soldier Has Loyalty and Commitment
In becoming a good soldier, absolute loyalty to his commanding officer is a must. Each soldier disqualifies himself as a good soldier whenever they disobey their commanding officer. They were court martial if they try to disobey direct command.
Well, of course, there were many incidents in our world that soldier disobeys their commanding officers. But all these are due to corruptions of the commanding officers and the soldiers themselves.
In heavenly realms however, our Commander In Chief does not have any form of corruption, the Perfect One, without a blemish, and without unworthiness. This is why our absolute obedience and loyalty is much needed. If there is any corruption that exists, that corruption never came from the giver of life, but from our human nature, and of the rebellion of the destroyer of life.
A good soldier does not betray the authority over them. They do not abuse the said authority instead they keep it sacred and a must to follow by everyone. They see to it that they obey every inch of commands given to them by their superior officer. They do everything to carry it out.
A Good Soldier Desire To Please His Commanding Officer
No soldier desire to disappoint their commanding officer. They carry out the commands even if their lives are at stake. Even if endangers their very own self, and sometimes even their families, they will do whatever their officer commanded them to do.
Submission to them is a way of life. It is something that they must live for, something that they must keep. Displeasing their commanding officer results to sanctions and discipline. Sometimes, it even results to taking away their assignments from them and giving them a dishonorable discharge.
As An Athlete
A Good Athlete Competes According To The Rules
No athlete is to violate the rules set by the game masters. In every race or in any competition, there is always a set of rules. They are not to violate it or else they will be disqualified and out from the game. An athlete always sees to it that he is following the rules.
Game rules are set of standards of the game for the competitors to follow. Most of these rules are for fair competition while other rules are for the safety of the spectators. Without rules, the game would be chaotic, full or cheating and unfair fighting. While other violations results to accidents, severe injuries and even deaths to both athletes and spectators. To avoid all these, each athlete should follow carefully all the rules of the game.
This is almost the same in our Christian lives. The Holy Bible gave us certain rules to follow so that we will not be disqualifying ourselves from the competition of life. Any violations may result to chaos inside the community of God, divisions, accidents, severe injuries and even deaths of our spiritual lives. I am not talking about salvation, I am referring to our very Christian lives that once very active, not it is as cold as dead.
Backsliders are usually a result of violations of these rules. Only some of them were able to go back into the fellowship while many of them fell cold dead in their spiritual struggle. They are good as being disqualified from the spiritual competition of life.
A Good Athlete Focus To Win The Prize
Every athlete competes to win the prize at the end of the race. Any athlete whose goal is not to win the prize fails and defeated in the great competition. In our world, some fights for honor, while others for glory. This is the real prize for them. The thing is, they can never get the prize without following the rules and without winning the competition. The key in doing this is to focus on the prize.
Having no focus, some athletes unknowingly commits violation of the game which also disqualifies them to the great race. Therefore, it is important to have focus, seeing to it that each rule is being followed carefully.
In the great race of our spiritual lives, there are many temptations along the way. Some offers rest, some offers enjoyment, some offers our favorite thing to do, and some discourages us to not make it hard for us to compete tempting us to stop in winning the race. This is why the ratio of those who continues and those who fails this great race is 1 out of 4.
This means that, if there are four competitors, only one will finish the race, the one who focuses in winning the prize. Some disqualified themselves in violating rules while others just stopped competing.
As A Farmer
A Good Farmer Work Hard To Have A Good Harvest
There is no farmer who does not work. A farmer works in sowing, planting, and taking good care of his crops. But guess what, a good farmer not just work, he works hard. He sees to it that his plants are well watered and well cultivated. He takes good care of his crop examining each plant to be sure that it is free of any pests.
He adds fertilizers to ensure that his plants grow healthy hoping that it will produce good fruits. Some farmers regularly trim their plants and take out dead leaves so that the plants may produce more fruits.
All of us are like farmers. The question for us in being a farmer is whether we are a “hard working” farmer, or just a regular farmer. If we are a hard working farmer, then we can surely expect a bountiful harvest ahead of us.
Some Christians never enjoy being a good Christian because they never work hard in cultivating their spiritual lives. God already gave us all the tools that we need. He also gave us people who can train us in cultivating our Christian lives. Unfortunately, many Christians refrain from working hard. This results to a very poor harvest. Which now is better, to be contented with a few harvest, or to be contented with a bountiful harvest?
A Hard Working Farmer Enjoys His Harvest
Some Christians perceived it differently. This is why working for the Lord to some seems to be a big burden. For them it really requires time and effort which is true, but they have forgotten that all these labor are suppose to be enjoyable and not a burden.
Have you seen people who were asked to lead a devotional study, or to preach and says, “it’s too tiring to prepare”. Yes it is too tiring, because in some ways it is hard to work on. But, at the same time, it is supposed to be enjoyable because we are discovering truths in the Bible and you are the first one to realize these truths that you are going to share with others.
This is why we do not enjoy the bountiful harvest because even before we have our harvest, we already abandoned the field that we are farming.
Are we like a farmer who abandons their field? Or are we the farmers who take good care of the field seeing that we are taking good care of our crops until it produces fruits?
Conclusion
My dear brothers and sisters are we like a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. We have to possess what’s in them for they are interrelated with each other. But are we doing all these:
Are we practicing ourselves to have a good spiritual discipline?
Do we have loyalty to our Commander?
Are we doing our best to please our Commander In Chief? Or are we doing our best to please ourselves?
Are we following the rules of the Game of Life?
Are we focus in winning the Game of Life, or are we focus in winning our own game?
Are we a “hard working farmer”? Or are we an impatient farmer who forces their plants to bear fruit?
Are we enjoying our harvest? Or because of our impatience we do not even recognize that the harvest has come?
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