Soldier, Athlete, Farmer
From “Restoration Year”, Eldredge December 25:
“His Unique Gift”
Matthew 1:23 NLT
“They will call him Immanuel, which means “God With Us”“I was listening to a few refrains from “O Holy Night”: “A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices” and something deep within my spirit said, O yes, dear Jesus, we need hope. Come for this weary world.
Actually, this world is more than weary, it’s coming apart at the seams. Something deep is unraveling. I wonder if you’ve felt it too. The barrenness of spirit, a desolation creeping across the earth.
You can see this through the great ache of social concern - the rallying to offer a helping hand, which is easier than offering Jesus. Now, we are to care for the poor and the oppressed. Yes. But let me ask: What is the unique contribution of Christianity to this weary world? It’s not social concern. It is Jesus and His kingdom. God didn’t offer the shepherds a grant for their micro economics, or the little outcast family an apartment. He offered them a Savior. He offered them himself. There’s simply no other way to save this weary, unraveling world.
Think again about the gift in the manger. God saw what the world most desperately needed, and what he chose to give us was … himself. To care for the world is to offer Jesus Christ. This is the message of Christmas. “Let every heart prepare him room.” Then heaven and nature will sing. Then will break the new and glorious morn. Jesus, may your hope and glory come.”
2 Timothy 2 (New English Translation)
So you, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And what you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.
3 Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No one in military service gets entangled in matters of everyday life; otherwise he will not please the one who recruited him.
5 Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not be crowned as the winner unless he competes according to the rules.
6 The farmer who works hard ought to have the first share of the crops.
7 Think about what I am saying and the Lord will give you understanding of all this.
- Soldier
Matthew 28
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 8
5 When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him,
6 “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7 Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”
8 But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.
9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!
11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.
12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.
- Athlete
1 Corinthians 9
24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!
25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.
27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Hebrews 12
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.
And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.
Galatians 2
I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.
Galatians 5.7
You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?
- Farmer
1 Corinthians 3
6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
Galatians 6
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.
8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
1 John 4.9
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1 Corinthians 7
20 Yes, each of you should remain as you were when God called you.
21 Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—but if you get a chance to be free, take it.
22 And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.
23 God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.
24 Each of you, dear brothers and sisters, should remain as you were when God first called you.
- Take your share of suffering
2 Timothy 1
8 So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News.
9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.
10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.
Philippians 1
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.
28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.
29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.
