Read 2 Timothy 2:1–13
Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive
the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.
2 Timothy 2:5
A person who strives as an athlete to win a game and get a crown must
be careful to obey all the rules. In the ancient Greek games in particular,
the judges were most careful about enforcing the rules. Each
competitor had to be a citizen of his nation, with a good reputation.
In his preparations for the event, he had to follow specific standards.
If an athlete was found defective in any matter, he was disqualified. If,
after he had competed and won, he was found to have broken some
rule, he then lost his crown.
From the human point of view, Paul was a loser. There was
nobody in the grandstands cheering for him: “All they which are in
Asia” had turned away from him (2 Tim. 1:15 KJV). He was in prison.
Yet, Paul was a winner! He had kept the rules laid down in the Word
of God, and one day he would get his reward from Jesus Christ. Paul
was saying to young Timothy, “The important thing is that you obey
the Word of God, no matter what people may say. You are not running
the race to please people or to get fame. You are running to
please Jesus Christ.”
Something to Ponder
What does it mean for you to “obey the rules” in regard to your faith?