Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-13

A soldier, an athlete, and a farmer each accomplishes their mission through discipline and hard work (2:4-7). These are the everyday heroes the Apostle Paul points to as he entreats Timothy to “join with me in suffering for the gospel” (1:8; 2:3). Paul is saying that when the believer puts their work gloves on and prepares for labor they prepare to "suffer" in the cause of the truth. Just like a farmer must put in the hard work to harvest fruit, even so there is a level of suffering and public shame that comes with living your faith in public. The agitation of being in conflict with the world is part of the fruitful process of the gospel.

Paul says, “I am chained like a criminal” for this gospel. But God’s Word is unchained. The Word is powerful. It transcends barriers. We are only servants to it's truths. The world’s systems try to banish the Word, silence the messengers of the Word. The serpent is always lying to distort the words God has said, and lying in wait to swallow the children of Truth. The focus of men is constantly being diluted by the deceitfulness of wealth and interesting distractions. They don't want to be distracted or harassed about inconvenient talks of Truth. It is the messenger of God who is constantly exposing the darkness with God's truths and setting the world on fire with his Word. That flame outlives the spark that started it. You can shut up the man, but you can’t shut up the Word.

Here finally is our hope, we can live in the resurrection life of Jesus. “If we died with him we will also live with him“ (2:11). Man is a wilting flower, but the Word of God stands forever. Let us live in the joy of his resurrection life. If we fight for the truth in the present conflict we will participate in it’s pending victory. If we share in the hard labor of God's Word we will harvest the fruit of it and be vindicated by the truth of it. The truth of his Word will not be suppressed forever. It will reign over the nations of the earth. It will prevail over the minds of the people, and you will have been a faithful investor and inheritor of God’s sacred cause.   

Tags: truth, resurrection, justice, life, suffering, fight, spiritual warfare, contest