Always Steady in the Harvest

When he wrote Timothy in 2Timothy, Paul was within months of the end of his life. I'm sure for Timothy and those who had only known Paul as their mentor and "hero," it was a hard reality to think of him actually dying. Somehow Paul's death, like his suffering and persecutions, were a part of God's plan, not something gone wrong. It all fit together, but they had to grasp that and not panic.

Some of Paul's final words to Timothy were, "As for you, always be steady (self-controlled, clear-headed, self-possessed), endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." 2 Timothy 4:5

Always be steady. Something about being trained by God in the reality of following, in the reality of this world, in the reality of His love should make us steady. Paul kind of says this in Romans 8. Especially when you know that Nero was about to "light a fire" under the church, being steady was not going to be easy to do. Yet living in the reality of God's truth is what we are trained in as disciples.  It is crucial if we’re going to work in the harvest making disciples who make disciples who make disciples.

It is no news to us that the world is lost and deceived and that the most powerful force on this planet, besides God, is the power of sin. Far more deadly than aids or hunger and active in everyone.

It is no news to us that the very people we are striving to help will resist us, therefore we need to be merciful even as our Father is merciful.

It is no news to us that we're going to die and that heaven isn't on earth.

But it's still hard to "always be steady." Yet, if we can't depend on God and His ever present love (poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit), we can't and won't suffer. If we won't suffer, we can't and won't do the work of an evangelist (I know, I don't have that gift either), and if we don't do the work of reaching out, we can't and won't fulfill our ministry.

How does God train us to always be steady? Some of us get married. If we don't learn it there, God gives us kids. If we don't learn it there, he gives us teenagers. If we don't learn it there, he puts us into youth ministry. And finally, if we are still spiritually resistant, He makes us pastors and church planters. Or are these the fruits and rewards of learning to be steady? The point is, He trains us in everything (Rom. 5:3-5), so that we can always be steady and endure suffering for Christ, and do the work of evangelists in this dark harvest and fulfill our purpose as disciples.

I'm thankful that I'm 55 and not 20 or 30. But only because of the fruit of His education in His service. I've lived through the lows and the doubts and the tribulations, hanging on by raw endurance. Now I'm much more interested in looking at Him and learning as I follow. We serve and sweat and strain and remain steady and endure suffering and do the work of an evangelist and fulfill our ministry, but the work is the Lord's and His wisdom is amazing and His love never fails.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.