NOT JUST FOR SCOUTS
READING: 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-7
Here are a couple of thoughts about what the verse above seems to imply. One is that a quality exists which makes soldiers able to endure hardship. Another implication is that this same quality can also help people to be faithful Christians. One quality that could contribute to both is preparedness. Being prepared for hardship increases a person’s ability to endure when it is encountered. Armies give a high priority to training so that soldiers will be prepared for the intense hardships associated with combat. Using the military analogy in this verse, Paul is preparing Timothy for hardships that were certain and predictable. Given the continuing nature of the opposition that exists against Christianity and Christian men and women, this advice about hardship is not for Timothy only. It is for all who serve the Lord! Therefore, so that we like Timothy will be able to fight the good fight, we too should seek and receive the quality of preparedness. May each of us be “...a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21). That’s a thought – about God’s Word.
RESPONSE
2. How much preparedness do we need?
