Metaphors with a Message – Part 3
My nagging night time cough is moving into about week three. Last night I tried to give Debbie a break and slept in another room. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, but I am not sure if there is anything specific they can do. Hopefully it will end soon. The biggest issue beside the annoyance is that it is impacting my energy level during the day.
I did get out some today to run some errands and take care of some appointments. Other than that it was work at home. I am getting off my normal workout routine but that should return soon. We did have a visit from one of our neighbors and his little girl. We enjoyed the memories he had of Debbie’s mom when she lived in our house.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” 2 Timothy 2:6,7
In these illustrations of the Christian life: the soldier, the athlete and the farmer, we find specific application to the work of the ministry. In being true to the context, Paul’s instructions to Timothy are, “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2,3
I often us the “FAT” acronym meaning, “faithful” “available and “teachable.” These are good attributes for any disciple, but especially those who give their life efforts to full time service to God’s work.
Paul points out two aspects of the life of the farmer. The first is the aspect of “hard work.” The work of the farmer is often from sunrise to sunset. Then during critical times of the year the intensity of work and the stress increases. Such as harvest time and when animals are having their babies. The work of plowing a field for centuries has been much harder than our present day with large tractors and farm implements. I was recently reading some papers from my father-in-law’s military enlistment and it recorded as part of his work skills the ability to farm using a team of horses. I don’t think those days allowed too much time to listen to the radio while you worked!
There are times when the Christian life can be hard, it feels like work. The same is true certainly of ministry. In my early years of ministry I recall the pressure to prove myself since my vocation was not viewed as legitimate “work.” I soon developed my definition of an “easy job.” It is the one someone else has!
Work simply requires persistence, keeping the end in view. That is why Paul wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
The next aspect of the life of the farmer is “reward.” When harvest comes, it is the “payday” for the farmer. In the past that was true in that it provided the food for his family as well as a product to sell to sustain a livelihood. In the Christian life there is a reward for faithfully serving the Lord. It doesn’t always come in a monetary sense or we don’t always have to wait until Jesus returns. The reward often comes in the spiritual fruit of the lives we impact. Paul told the Thessalonians, “…you are our glory and joy.” [reward] (1 Thessalonians 2:20)
We also see the practical aspect of the financial support for those who give their lives to the work of the ministry. In another passage we read, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned?… If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?…the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:9-11,14)
As we summarize these three illustrations, we can see a commitment to please the commander, avoiding distraction from the world around; the importance of character and “playing by the rules”; the value of persistence in the “work” knowing that there is a reward.
Remember Paul says, “… think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” I have shared my thoughts, I would challenge you to give consideration to these and add your own.