3 Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 A soldier refrains from entangling himself in civilian affairs, in order to please the one who enlisted him. 5 Likewise, a competitor does not receive the crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops. 7 Consider what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all things.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Herman Tu

When I first became a Christian, I remember speaking to my pastor, Vincent, about following Jesus and athletic endeavours. At that time, I was intoxicated with the mindset of becoming a “Herman who is an Australian athlete”. All of my actions had to funnel towards this single vision of myself. This included going to the gym for long hours most days of the week, befriending people on the basis that I knew they would be of benefit to me, and feeding myself with perpetual self-talk of unlocking my future potential.

It is no wonder that what Vinno said rocked me to the core: “Herman, you are a Christian before you are an athlete. Therefore, what is more important is not how well you perform, but your identity as a Christian.” More than that, he said: “Taking Jesus seriously means that all aspects of your life, including sport, should be done in a way that brings honour, praise and glory to God”. I was shocked. It was just so radical and countercultural.

This passage really resonates with my experience of those conversations. Understanding who Jesus is forces you, in a loving way, to give up all self-centred facets of your life and to use all of your life to worship God.

Paul definitely understood this, because he commands Timothy to life sacrificially and to join him in his suffering (v3). The Apostle Peter spoke the same way when he commends believers who “endure the pain of unjust suffering” for Christ’s sake (1 Peter 2:19).

What did they understand that propelled them to live so sacrificially and single-mindedly for Christ? As we will see tomorrow, they remembered Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David (v8). They remembered the good news that “with the precious blood of Christ” God has purchased for us “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4, 19).

For me now, sacrifice can mean giving something up. But it can also be choosing to use something for God joyfully, knowing that we may be judged or treated unrighteously. Because we know of the inheritance and the glorious future to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Herman is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.