“I charge [you] therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, [because] they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn [their] ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:1-8 NKJV
At one time or another, I’m sure we could all relate an instance where we received some bad advice and the resulting negative impact it had on our lives. I know I have, and those experiences weighed heavily on my mind when I chose to begin my fitness journey. With that thought on my mind, it proved to be rather confusing and difficult to choose exactly who to listen to and who to ignore when it came to advice on how to proceed. While good advice would have positive results, it goes without saying that bad advice would hinder my progress and the chances of succeeding would be minimized. When it came time to decide, I chose a coach who taught an approach that was science based, and backed by one of the largest number of positive, result based reviews. Now if that sounds like an easy decision, I suggest you simply search the internet for “workout programs” and you can see just what I had to sift through to make my choice.
While making the choice to grow our spiritual muscles may be easy, choosing who to listen to when we need a little coaching can prove to be more difficult than many might think. Of course, it goes without saying that God the Father is our life coach, yet we also choose teachers/coaches to help us understand His Word and the instruction we receive in it. My personal bias in choosing a spiritual coach is that I am always looking for someone who will tell me what the Word of God says, rather than trying to tell me what they might think. When it comes to our spiritual journey on this earth, it is most often described by the Apostle Paul as a race, and the advice he gave reflected that belief.
In his letter to Timothy, you can certainly see that Paul is “coaching” him on how to run the race that Paul himself is close to finishing. Paul draws on his personal experiences to prepare Timothy for what he will also experience, and to help him avoid the pitfalls that will certainly appear in his way. In the passage above I see at least three points Paul makes to Timothy which to me looks like good advice on how to avoid a wrong turn in our spiritual fitness journey due to listening to the wrong advice.
1. Stay committed to the Word of God. Paul says “I charge you...preach the Word.” The word for charge is diamartyromai in the Greek which means to “earnestly” and “solemnly” testify in such a way as to cause it to be believed. I learned that there was a certain strategy to running a longer race, and you had to commit to that strategy and not let others dictate how you ran your race. Here Paul tells Timothy that the first and most important thing to remember is to commit to the Word of God and not allow someone else to talk you into changing or ignoring what it says. Paul states clearly that the time will come where believers will listen to teachers who change or ignore what the Bible says because they want to hear what sounds good to them rather than what God has said.
“All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NKJV
2. Stay committed to the Work of God. Paul also says “fulfill your ministry”. Do you know what yours is? The Bible tells us that all believers have been given a spiritual gift to use in service for God and to further His kingdom. All believers should seek to know and use their spiritual gift whenever the opportunity presents itself. Paul also warns us that it will not be popular because he tells Timothy to “endure”. The word translated endure means to suffer or be afflicted with hardships and troubles. I'm sure many of us can relate to these words right now for I hear daily of believers who are suffering in one way or another, or being persecuted for what they believe. You prepare for that by focusing on the work you have to do and not be distracted by it's unpopularity with those who choose to reject.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 NKJV
3. The reward is guaranteed. Standing on the top of the victory stand is something few people have an opportunity to experience in this life. Anybody who has will tell you that their first thought is that standing there getting your medal and hearing the applause of the crowd makes all the pain and struggles of training worthwhile. Yet while there can be only one winner in earthly races, in the Heavenly race, all can win. Paul says that his race is almost over yet he knows his reward is waiting for him in heaven. What we as believers are running for is a “crown of righteousness” which the Lord will give to us when we stand before Him, and Paul says clearly that it is available to all. We don't have to worry if we will lose out to someone else, for in this race, all who run will win.
“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 NKJV
As we see, Paul often compares the life of believers to running a race. When you run a long race it is a certainty that at some point you will be on the receiving end of some bad advice. I think some of the best advice Paul gave, and the one thing I find myself doing often, is focusing on the finish line. I can tell you from personal experience that seeing the finish line and focusing on running through that tape can give you the boost you need to make it to the end. Paul wrote these words as he was approaching his finish line so it stands to reason that he knew what he was talking about when it comes to advice on how to run the race. Paul simply says we need to be committed to know the Word of God, do the Work of God, and be assured we will receive our reward from the Lord Himself on that day. We have God's Word on that!
As always, the most important question is this. If you have never chosen to accept the gift of eternal life provided for us by God the Father, I would urge you to do it today. Time to make that choice is indeed rapidly running out and Jesus returning to take His own back with Him to heaven could happen at any time. All you need to do is simply ask Him for forgiveness for your sin, invite Him to come into your life, and believe He died to pay the price for your redemption. A simple prayer like this is all that He wants to hear from you, and then you too can begin to run the race we all as believers are encouraged to run.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.
Keep watching.
