2 Timothy 2: 1-7: Putting you in the picture.(Please click here for todays passage)

Here are three illuminating and helpful images of Christian leadership. It is good for us to reflect on these portraits (7), expecting God to help us to understand and apply their truths to our lives.

  • The soldier (3, 4): This picture speaks of both willingness to suffer and the need to be focussed. We don’t want to be ‘chocolate soldiers’, as the missionary C.T.Studd put it, who ‘melt’ in the heat of battle. Nor should we allow ourselves to be distracted from our primary duties. ‘’A soldier on duty doesn’t get caught up making deals at the market-place. He concentrates on carrying out orders.’’ The Message. ‘’…he wants to please his commanding officer.’’ New International Version.
  • The athlete (5): The particular point emphasised here is the need for obedience. We are called to a life of righteousness. In the world of athletics cheats get disqualified if discovered. In order to run the Christian race there are certain things we have to do. Following God’s Word is not an optional matter.
  • The farmer (6): Charles Swindoll quipped that many Christians seem to think the manual labour is the President of Mexico. We should not be afraid of hard work. It’s the diligent farmer who gets the produce.’’ The Message. In the context this is about church leaders receiving financial support. But it is important not to lose sight of the general principle that we should roll up our sleeves and labour.‘’Real ministry is hard work, and a pastor (and church members) ought to work in their spiritual field as diligently as a farmer works in his field. Pastors do not punch clocks, but they ought to be up in the morning and at their work just as if God blew a whistle for them.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘The Wiersbe Bible Commentary (NT), p771. Wiersbe also adds that a pastor friend of his said to him, ‘’The harvest is not the end of the meeting – it is the end of the age.’’ That’s an important point to hold on to. I find this quote helpful: ‘’I consider the success of my day based on the seeds I sow, not the harvest I reap.’’ Robert Louis Stevenson. But there can be no reaping at any time without sowing.

A wise elderly pastor, who had been blessed with great success, said in my hearing, ‘There is no inspiration without perspiration.’ I believe he had a point.