Observation: Paul's instructions to Timothy are basic ... Timothy is to do the work of the Church, which is telling others about salvation through faith in Jesus. That's it. That's the job. He uses several different metaphors and examples of action to make the point - a soldier on duty, an athlete in a game, a farmer in the field - but everything references this one instruction. The advice is to not get distracted by false messages or secondary debates, but instead diligently do this one assignment.
Application: Over the last few days, I have been casually thinking about the 'work' in my life, and I did reach a very simply conclusion ... I am perpetually distracted by unimportant stuff. I have one task from the Lord, which is to serve him by loving others and representing the truth about Jesus Christ. I have one earthly job, which is currently the work I do at Microsoft. And I have one other heavenly assignment, as the husband of my wife and as a support system for her and my family. Beyond that, everything else is distraction and off-mission.
The soldier analogy resonates with me. A Roman soldier would patrol the marketplace, keeping an eye out for issues and ensuring that peace prevails. He would never just chit-chat with merchants, or even he himself just spend time as a customer purchasing goods while on duty. Instead, he does his job, performs his duty, and stays on-task.
What do I do? I mentally wander, allowing all kinds of meaningless and useless thoughts to invade my mind, and then spending time on actions that do not advance any aspect of life - mine or others - and thus are truly empty of purpose. At the end of the day, I feel like a failure because I have in fact failed at carrying out my orders.
Again, this was something I thought about over the last few days, that I need to recommit myself to the true work to which the Lord has assigned me. I need to carry out my orders. To do so, I need to discard and reject all the distractions and noise and worthless stuff accessible all around me. I can do better at both my heavenly and earthly work.
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your word and your truth. You guide my thoughts, and then reinforce that guidance, as only you can in your wisdom and your love. You are my commander, may I concentrate on carrying out my orders. Amen.
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