Paul exhorted Timothy to not only uphold the truth of the gospel but to pass it on to others. These would be trained 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 these 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 Christ to those they encounter.


“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. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.”
(2 Timothy 2:3-6)

Paul warned Timothy to counsel the faithful that they would 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.