Following the Three

Scripture — 2 Timothy 2:3-7 (NRSV)

Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer. And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things.

Devotion

The TIME Magazine 2025 Kid of the Year feature was awarded to 17-year-old Digital Defender Tejasvi Manoj; she was a 16-year-old junior in high school from Texas when she defended her grandfather, who was targeted in 2024 on the Internet. Tejasvi built Shield Seniors, a website and app to educate people aged 60 plus about online scams and fraud. Tejasvi wanted not only protection for her grandfather while he used the internet, but also for other seniors who engage in online transactions. Her website and app were intended to protect seniors from cybercrimes while improving their digital literacy, part of her desire for the best for seniors.

Whereas Tejasvi Manoj desired the best for seniors as a young lady, the Apostle Paul in his senior years desired the best for young Timothy.  Paul saw the potential of Timothy and because of this he gave Timothy words of caution filled with love and wisdom. As we focus on the theme Seeking the Best for Others, we can see that Paul had a deep fatherly care and concern for Timothy’s development in Christ and as a young man in general. In this text we see Paul asking Timothy to share in suffering—in suffering? Seriously, no one wants to suffer; we always tend to look for a way out.  Which leads us to ask ourselves the question, what type of suffering did Paul consider when he addressed Timothy?

Paul presented three examples of people generally associated with suffering:

1. the soldier,
2. the athlete, and
3. the farmer.

When the average person thinks about a soldier, we associate that individual, regardless of gender, as being one who must be tough, suffering through the pain of the assignments given to them. Toughness then must be their middle name for the rigorous tasks to be endured in their duties. When I think of soldiers, my mind also goes to many war movies and, more so the veterans we honor who fought World War I and II for us. Timothy is being admonished to be tough and know what he’s about by not being distracted with matters which would not build up a soldier.

Secondly is the disciplined athlete. The word disciplined means to be organized and to have self-control to achieve a specific goal; therefore, fighting against your own self-will—i.e., refraining from excessive sweets and sugars and from eating late at night, or training when it’s hard to train. There is a quote by the G.O.A.T,  Muhammad Ali, who said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, don’t quit, suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” Muhammad Ali knew what it meant to discipline his body in training even when he didn’t feel like it. If we are going to win the crown as leaders, we must be willing to follow the rules of the race, those rules of training for the greater good, even when our bodies want to repel this.

As athletes in this Christian race, discipling our bodies in spiritual practices can be a challenge. We recall Jesus saying, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41) and we can confess this to be very true sometimes. Think of those times you may have struggled to wake up early to read God’s Word before leaving home for work, or to memorize scripture, or to fast in prayer for a major cause. These all demand a disciplining of one’s body for that period of time by yielding oneself to the Holy Spirit to hear God’s voice.  I recall when my running group was training for a half marathon. We met each other for training three times a week at 4:30 AM. It wasn’t easy leaving our warm beds at 4:00 AM to go running in the cold wind of the dawn, but it was worth it in the end when we ran that half marathon with success.

Thirdly, we have the farmer—who struggles with the weeds and the irrigation of the soil. Similar to the farmer who toils in the sweating of the sun, Timothy should embrace the suffering of worn hands from toiling in the ground. Paul is encouraging Timothy to pause and reflect on all this advice in order to comprehend its truth and value in his development as a young man. As leaders, we should also take time to pause and reflect on the truths in living out the character traits of these careers–the soldier, the athlete and the farmer.

At the heart of this reflection should be the determination to stay focused.  Our aim and goal should be to please the enlisted officer, which in this case is Jesus Christ. Jesus followers must seek to please their Master. We must reflect Jesus in our daily activities; persons who come in contact with us must be able to see the difference in our lives compared to others as it relates to a strong, positive character in Christ.

In addition, we recognize the Apostle Paul admonishing Timothy to refrain from getting entangled in affairs which will not prove to be successful. Paul’s desire is for Timothy to carry on the legacy of the Pauline apostolate to “faithful people,” as he encourages him with these powerful words.  The intention is that Timothy will have the knowledge to teach others by passing on this healthy teaching Paul has imparted to him. Timothy must also recognize the importance of hard work through the characteristics of faithfulness with the examples presented in the text, to embody as his own. As leaders, we are also called to suffer as Jesus would have, and endure it courageously—like the soldier, the farmer, and the athlete—with a heart of thanksgiving, as we determine to keep our eyes on Jesus, as we live out a Christ-centered life.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project’s online commentary. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Cultures Can Persist for Generations (2 Timothy 1:1–2:13; 3:10–17).