保罗首先用士兵和他一生的艰苦忍耐作例子。当兵并不容易，他必须离开家园和自己所爱的人。他常要长途跋涉地远征，吃定量配给的军粮，要风餐露宿，还要面对战争和死亡的威胁。他不能享受一般平民的生活。他有自己的职份，而且必须坚守岗位。信徒的生命有许多方面就像当兵一样。而基督徒最首要的想法就是取悦于他的长官──耶稣基督。

接着，第5节则以运动员为例，他参加比赛的目标，是为了争夺奖牌。韦莫夫（Weymouth）将这节翻译为：「无论哪一位运动员，若不遵守比赛规则，就绝对没有夺标的机会。」基督徒生活的准则就在神的话语中。诗人说神的话「是我脚前的灯，是我路上的光」。这意味着神的话语为我们照亮前路，我们必须跟从神的话语而行，神话语的亮光永远指引我们当行的路。

保罗还没有说完，他希望提摩太面对工作的劳苦，在服侍基督的工作上硕果累累。他在第6节提醒提摩太，农夫必须劳苦作工，才能得着丰收。「劳力的农夫理当先得粮食。」但收获的时候，喜乐是多么的大。而曾经做出最初准备工作的农夫一定比任何人更加快乐。保罗借此勉励提摩太，为主作工虽然辛苦，但都值得。

最后，保罗再次重申福音的伟大真理。「提摩太，你要记着，我们若与基督同死，也必与祂同活。我们若能忍耐，也必和他一同作王。因此，不要轻言放弃，一切的辛劳都必有回报。求神帮助你忠心到底。当记着，耶稣基督是信实的，祂必不丢弃你。」这段信息给我们何等大的鼓励！让我们坚持到底，为主打美好的仗！

Day 17

BE STRONG AND FIGHT ON

2 Timothy 2: 1-13

1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

6 The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

8 Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,

9 for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

10 Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

11 This is a faithful saying:
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.

12 If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.

13 If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

Message

As he writes to his son in the faith, Paul uses every figure of speech he can think of to help his young friend stand firm for Christ. He is like a coach going over every part of an athlete’s preparation for the race ahead. He does so because he wants him to win.

Paul’s first comparison is to the life of a soldier and the hardships soldiers endure. A soldier’s life is not often easy. He has to leave home and loved ones. He must undertake long marches while living on army rations, often sleeping on the ground, plus the threat of war and its dangers. He must not become involved in civilian affairs. He has a job to do and must stick with it. The application of these thoughts to a believer’s life is plain to see. The Christian’s first thought must be to please his commanding officer - Jesus Christ.

Then verse 5 introduces the attitude of an athlete who wants to win the prize offered. Weymouth translates this verse, “A competitor in any game is not crowned unless he observes the rules of the game.” The rules concerning our Christian behaviour are all found in the Word of God. The Psalmist spoke of it as a “lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” It has been suggested this means that the light illuminates the path ahead so that as we move ahead, the light is always showing us the way to go.

Paul isn’t finished yet. He wants Timothy to face up to the work involved in fruitful service of Christ. In verse 6 he reminds Timothy how much hard labour must be put into any field if it is to bring forth a harvest. “Labour must precede reward.” But there is real joy when the harvest is brought in and no one will enjoy it more than the man who did the initial work of preparation. I know what it’s like Timothy but it will be worth it all.

Then Paul re-iterates the great facts of the Gospel once more. “Remember we died with Christ but we are going to live with Him forever. If we put up with all that is heaped on to us, one day we will reign with Christ forever. It will be worth it all, Timothy. Don’t give up. Ask God to help you to be faithful to the end. Remember Jesus Christ is the faithful one and He will never let you down.” What an encouraging message for everyone of us today. Let’s “keep on fighting the good fight of faith for Jesus” sake.