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| November 15, 2001 |
| "THOU therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the some commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 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 laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." 2Timothy 2:1-7 We have looked at studying the Word of God the past couple days. Let us look at the rewards we reap in doing so: As Timothy preached and taught what God lead him to, he faced much suffering, but with God's grace, was able to endure. Paul used a comparison with soldiers, athletes, and farmers here, who must discipline themselves and be willing to sacrifice to achieve the results they want. Like soldiers, we have to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline. Like athletes, we must train hard and follow the rules. Like farmers, we must work extremely hard and be patient while waiting on our crops. But we keep going despite suffering because of the thought of victory, the vision of winning, and the hope of harvest. The end results will, after much work and suffering, be worthwhile as we achieve our goal of glorifying God. If we work hard in winning souls for Christ, and those new babes grow and win souls for Christ, and those new babes grow, and so on and so on, just think of how many more brothers and sisters we will live eternally with in Christ Jesus! Therefore, back to studying . . . it is hard work also, just as training and harvesting crops, but the end results are a great reward ~ glorifying God and everlasting life! Application: If the church were to follow Paul's advice here in these Scripture verses, it would expand geometrically as well-taught believers would teach others, and commission them, in turn, to teach still others. Just as we are saved by God's marvelous grace, we should be passing it on! If we trust completely in Him and in His power, not trusting in our own strengths alone, we will receive God's strength to do His work ~ winning souls, souls, and more souls for Him! May you have a wonderfully blessed day in the Lord as you "so let your light shine" for Jesus! <J><E><S><U><S>< <S><A><V><E><S>< Love in Christ, Sandy |