Thoughts on 2 Timothy 2:5 by John W. Ritenbaugh
"... if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules."
The apostle takes this metaphor from athletics. He advises Timothy that, if he is striving to win in his ministry, he will not be crowned unless he disciplines himself to follow the rules.
In games (whether it is a card game, croquet out in the backyard, basketball, or whatever), one is often confronted with the opportunity to bend or to break the rules. The player must discipline himself, or face the penalties - or even find himself disqualified. If one breaks the rules in football, he receives a 5-yard, 10-yard, or 15-yard penalty. In some games, the rule-breaker gets thrown right out! The athlete, then, must discipline himself.
Yet, Paul is using this in regard to members of God's church. If we desire to be crowned, we will have to strive within the rules. We will have to discipline ourselves. In Timothy's case, the rules are scattered throughout Paul's epistle to him. In terms of the Sabbath and the annual feast days, they are the only days in the entire Bible that God designates as "holy." They are part of "the rules."
But we must remember as we endeavor to celebrate God's designated days that if Jesus is not at the heart of our celebration, our feasts are not acceptable before Him.
As we approach the season when we celebrate Christ's birth, may we be mindful that "Jesus is the reason for the season," and may we make honoring Him and the reason that He came to earth as a man the focal point of everything we do.
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