II Timothy 2:3-7 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”
One of the neatest relationships to study in the Bible is that of Paul and Timothy. Undoubtedly, the Apostle Paul accomplished great things for the Lord during his lifetime. Yet Paul was not only content with what he was able to accomplish, but he purposely used his time and influence to train others to likewise serve our Lord.
Because Paul understood the effectiveness of training others to further the cause of Christ, he chose Timothy as one of the fortunate recipients of his investment. In essence, this is what we refer to as discipleship. Paul wrote our passage to Timothy in efforts to give him necessary “directions” that a disciple must have to be effective for Christ.
The first “direction” that we see in this passage is the one I would like to highlight for today’s devotion—endurance. Endurance is simply defined as “the power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way.” Paul understood that one of the most important “abilities” a person could have was “durability.”
Many people rest content in their intellect, their talents, or their good intentions... however, they are rudely awakened when they face storms or trials if they do not possess endurance. How about us? Do we have endurance?
The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:9, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Do we possess the proper endurance to fight through the many “quitting points” that come our way? These quitting points can be represented by sickness, financial struggles, or spiritual battles.
My encouragement for us today is that, as a disciple of Christ, “let us endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Don’t resent the hardness, don’t push away the hardness, and don’t quit during the hard times of life. Push through and endure.
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