According to the rules
The long game. It’s all about the long game.
Sometimes the illustrations are right there in the passage.
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. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 2 Timothy 2:3–7, ESV
A few months ago, Tim Challies wrote an article about finishing well. He was making the point that even if you make it 99% of the way there, if you miss the landing then you’ve completely missed the whole journey. I mention it here because I was reminded of it as I looked at today’s bit of 2 Timothy.
If it wasn’t for everything that comes before it in this letter, it would feel like quite a spiky bit of writing. But as a word from Paul to his spiritual son? It proves to be a very gentle rebuke, or at the very least a warning. A warning against falling short in some way.
We’ve already seen the contrast between those who abandoned Paul and those who sought him out. In chapter 3 there will be another comparison and contrast.
What does Paul want Timothy to do? He wants him to act with the end goal in mind. To endure suffering now while awaiting glory in the end. The pleasure of his commanding officer. The victor’s crown at the end of the race. The first fruits of the harvest.
Another pastor in another town here in Scotland shared some advice that he had received once. I am paraphrasing from memory, but all of ministry is about the long game. Eugene Peterson writes about keeping a long view in mind with pastoral prayer. A race may only take moments, but there are hundreds of hours of prep that go before them. The full lifecycle of an oak can take 900 years and much longer in some cases.
A slightly self-serving aside/conclusion
As I write this, I am approaching the end of my time as a training pastor. Though I have been doing the whole job, I have been studying alongside it. The big question is whether it will be able to continue. My prayer is that we would. I desperately want to see the long game played out in this town, here along the water. So for now, please pray with me, that we would be able to continue where we are, with this church. It has been an amazing blessing so far and there seem to be signs of growth happening right now.