“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 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. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.” (2 Timothy 2:1-4)
Truth in these days seems to be suppressed and hidden in favor of feelings and opinions. But Saint Paul reminds us of the truthfulness and trustworthiness of the Word of God. Many in our world seek to deny, ignore, or reinterpret it, but, as Paul exhorted Timothy, we are called to uphold the truth of the gospel and to pass it on to others. We are called to be faithful stewards of God’s household who proclaim the gospel with scrupulous care in order to ensure that the truth will be passed faithfully and accurately to all who need to hear it.
Paul reminded Timothy that faithful stewards are not to get so involved with worldly pursuits that they lose sight of the simple message of salvation in Christ Jesus alone. In addition, they are to devote themselves to godly living, humility and righteousness that will serve as an example of the love and mercy of Jesus to those they encounter.
Paul warned that in the process of carrying out our calling, we will encounter persecution, resistance, and hardship. The faithful Christian who passes on the gospel is like a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. The soldier is obedient and loyal. The athlete is disciplined. The farmer is patient and hardworking. All three endure hardships, deprivation, and pain faithfully and without complaint for they are focused on achieving their goals. The faithful Christian must be as dedicated and focused on the goal of advancing the Kingdom of God. How focused are we on preaching the truth of God amidst all the other things that compete for our attention? How important is it for us to rightly handle the word of God when our society is interpreting the word to conform to its standards? We must persevere to the end with our hearts focused on the goal of glorifying God above all else, even self-comfort. We have been blessed with a great calling and with the strength of Almighty God and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit we will carry it out.