You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus… Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. (2 Timothy 2:1, 3-6, NIV).
Living that life of loving God, loving others, and making disciples is hard. It is costly. It is difficult. There is suffering involved. There is always suffering involved when love is involved. If we are going to succeed at living the Great Commandment and Great Commission we will need to live as strongly out of that grace, in that grace, as we can.
Because that is the case, like a soldier is focused on his mission and carrying out the orders he has received, we need to be intentional in keeping our focus on the mission of the Kingdom. To do that we need to pay attention to the strategies and direction of our commanding officer, Jesus Christ.
All Christians have Christ’s Spirit living in them connecting them to Him, and Him to them, at all times. But just as there is a difference between having the grace of Jesus and being strong in the grace of Jesus, there is a difference between having the Spirit living in you and living by the Spirit.
There are all sorts of things that clamor for our attention, many voices calling us to do this or that. If we are going to be strong in the grace we have been given, we need to be like a good soldier and be about the business we have been given and not get caught up in “civilian affairs.” A distracted soldier can’t do his job well. One of Satan’s most effective strategies in fighting against the kingdom of God is in keeping us focused on things that are in and of themselves good to the point that we are more focused on the call of those things than on the mission of the kingdom of God. We need to stay focused on the mission of the kingdom.
Second, like an athlete, we need to be intentionally following the rules of the kingdom. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV),
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Do you here the intentionality in Paul’s voice? We need to train so that we run the race well. And we need to run the race according to the rules that have been set so that we are not disqualified. The rules are:
Stay devoted to Christ (love God).
Be devoted to His Church (love others).
Be devoted to His mission (make disciples).
All the preaching of the cross, all the study, training, praying, and striving we do is to train us to live strong in the grace we have been given so that we excel at those three things.
Like a hardworking farmer, we need to be intentional about cultivating the kingdom. Farmers are some of the hardest working people there are. They are often up before dawn and working in their fields till the sun goes down. The work they do does not have immediate return. They have to wait for it. For some crops that may be weeks, for others months, some like fruit trees take years of work before you get a harvest from them.
The work of the farmer is not making things grow. He doesn’t have much to do with that. If the seeds are “good” (i.e., healthy) they will grow all on their own. What the farmer is concerned about is the environment the seed is planted in. If the environment is good the seed will grow. So they cultivate, water, fertilize, and weed so that the environment naturally supports growth.
In a similar way, discipling is about creating the culture and environment that supports the growth of love for God, love for others, and making disciples. To create that environment means pulling the weeds of gossip, backbiting, and slander. It means digging out the rocks of critical spirits and breaking up the hard soil of grudge keeping. It means protecting it from the bugs of pride and fear. It takes a generous watering of love, joy, and kindness, and fertilizing it with goodness, patience, gentleness, and self-control.
Gardens do not just happen. Gardens are tended. They are the result of intentional work. The Church is the garden of the Lord and we are charged with tending it so that it readily produces fruit, and so that it grows bigger.
This is hard work. But as the farmer is one of the first to enjoy the fruits of his labor, there is great joy and reward in seeing the kingdom of God flourish and increase.
Learning To Be Full Of Grace And Truth. 