Winning by the rules

A young friend of mine provided the following words of encouragement describing our relationship as one similar to that of Paul and Timothy (in this particular case, the encouragement was in reverse):

2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ... 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:2,5 NIV)

My young friend writes:

These are Paul's last challenges to Timothy: preach the Word, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. This will be our road map for success. God has called you, gifted you, and will sustain you during your life of ministry. I'm praying hard for you that God will do one of our favorite verses - Eph 3:20-21 - immeasurably more than all we can ask, think or imagine.

As I looked through the rest of the letter from Paul to Timothy, one section particularly stuck out to me:

2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others. 3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 5 And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. (2 Timothy 2:2-5 NLT)

My first reaction was … “what rules?” I’m thinking this means that there are no short-cuts. An illustration:

Rosie Ruiz Wins the Boston Marathon

On April 21, 1980 Rosie Ruiz, a 23-year-old New Yorker, was the first woman to cross the finish line in the Boston Marathon. She had achieved the third fastest time ever recorded for a female runner (two hours, thirty-one minutes, and fifty-six seconds), which was made all the more remarkable by the fact that she looked remarkably sweat-free and relaxed as she climbed the winner's podium to accept her wreath. However, race officials almost immediately began to question her victory.The problem was that no one could remember having seen her during the race. Monitors at the various race checkpoints hadn't seen her, nor had any of the other runners. Numerous photographs taken during the race failed to contain any sign of her. Her absence was overwhelming. Finally, a few members of the crowd came forward to reveal that they had seen her jump into the race during its final half-mile. Apparently she had then simply sprinted to the finish line.

I do want things to happen quickly … mainly because of the sense of urgency that I have for our mission. But, God has his timing. He wants to do a great work IN me, AROUND me, and THROUGH me. His ways are higher than my ways; his thoughts are greater than my thoughts (Is. 55:9). Stay the course and persevere ... God is at work.