"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." (2Ti 2:1-7)
To be a Christian can be both challenging and at the same time very exciting and full of pure fun.
Many years ago before I became a Christian, I thought Christians were the most miserable, unsociable and unfashionable humans to walk the face of the earth. I remember how my friends and I would ridicule, laugh at them and avoid them. We found them very unexciting and weird.
Since becoming a Christian I have discovered that the Christian Life is actually very exciting but also challenging. I have found it sometimes to be a roller coaster ride, victory one day and the feeling of defeat the next.
If we however keep our focus more on the challenges, we will miss the exciting part of the Christian life.
The exciting and refreshing times are those times when we pray for someone and they get healed, those times we have believed God for something special or important things and He shows up with answers. Those times of seemingly impossible situations and He turns things around. The times when we feel like throwing in the towel and someone we have never met before turns up with a word of encouragement. Those times the hardest of sinners in our view, gives his or her live to Christ. Wow! What a glorious moment, what a joyous moment and what a heritage we have.
It is however interesting to note that the word “Christian” which is mentioned only three times in the New Testament in Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28 and 1Peter 4:16 was a term of ridicule or abuse, but the disciples accepted it. They accepted the ridicule, the mocking, alongside the victory.
In describing the Christian life, the New Testament uses the following metaphors:
1. The Christian life is a life of battle, spiritual warfare – You are a Soldier - 2 Timothy 2:3-4
2. The Christian life is a race – You are an Athlete - 2 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 9:24-26
3. The Christian life is a life of constant sowing and reaping, the word of truth – You are a Farmer - 2 Timothy 2:6
4. The Christian life is a life of fishing, winning men and women to the Lord – You are a Fisher of Men - Mathew 4:19, Luke 5:10.
5. The Christian life is a container, for the masters use – You are a Vessel - 2 Timothy 2:20 -21
6. The Christian life calls us to represent God on this earth – You are an Ambassador - 2 Corinthians 5:20
7. The Christian life is a Journey, the world is not our destination – You are a Sojourner - 1 Peter 2:11
As Christians we are also described as being sons, friends, disciples, branches, salt, light, stewards, etc.
You then ask, how one person can be all of these things successfully?
That is the joy of being a Christian, in your own strength you can’t, but through the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The emphasis has to be on The Grace that is in Christ Jesus. We are all these things through the strength of Christ Jesus not our strength. If we depend on our strength we are doomed to fail. We can do all things through Christ who gives us the strength to do them, when we look up to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith, we will always live a victorious Christian life.
“Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”.
