Be Ready In Season and Out of Season

(Image courtesy of https://www.wikihow.com.)
"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry" (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
This morning I went for a run.  The air was crisp and the new sun was casting its beautiful, colorful rays upon the horizon.  When I came to the end of my run, I walked a little bit to catch my breath.  I literally thought I was going to die.  My eyes were growing cloudy, my chest felt like an elephant was pushing down on me, and my mouth and lungs burned.  The worst part about it was that I had run only one city block.

Paul charges Timothy to "preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season... [f]or the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:2-4).

An athlete must be ready in season and out of season.  During the season, workouts help keep the athlete from injury.  After the games are over, in the off-season, workouts are intended to help build muscle, in preparation for the next season.  The athlete who thinks he can take a break in the off-season and be ready for the next season is a foolish athlete.  If the athlete is playing a team sport, then his lack of discipline in the off-season will affect the entire team.

Once again, Paul charges Timothy to hold fast to the Gospel, for he must be ready at all times - in all life's circumstances and seasons - "to reprove, rebuke, exhort", and these things "with complete patience and teaching" (2 Timothy 4:2)  In other words, the well-being of your teammates depends on you, Timothy, at least in part.  Do not take breaks; do not leave the Way when you are tired or hungry or weary.  Stay on the path!  Hold fast to the Gospel of God, which is the power for salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16).

Holding fast to the Gospel means remaining steadfast in the Way; it means not moving to the right or to the left.  The Christian is to know Christ intimately and with great passion, for that is eternal life: "And this is eternal life: that they know You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).  The Christian is tempted at times to believe lies about God; for instance, that God owes us something.  The truth of the Gospel is that the Lord owes us nothing.  Not one of us is a good candidate for salvation; no one is likeable enough or lovable enough for God's favor, neither can anyone hold God in their debt.  But the Lord is merciful.  He bends His bow and arrow toward the earth and He would be just in letting it go, yet mercy stays His hand.  Let us remember that His mercies are new every morning, lest we forget the Gospel and leave the Way of Life marked out for us.

On my run this morning, I felt the effects of taking a break in the off-season.  Not only are its negative effects felt today, but they could lead to health problems for the rest of my life.  I must take care of my body through physical training.  Likewise, the Christian must not let go of the Gospel of God nor pursue another teaching that sounds better and is easier to obey; it will negatively effect his entire life.  The Christian must remain in the Way and not go to the right or to the left.  Paul is specifically charging a young overseer (Timothy) to remain faithful to the Gospel always, for the lives of those whom he oversees depend greatly on it.

Matthew Henry, a Puritan preacher and commentator, writes this concerning 2 Timothy 4:1-5:
People will turn away from the truth, they will grow weary of the plain gospel of Christ, they will be greedy of fables, and take pleasure in them.  People do so when they will not endure that preaching which is searching, plain, and to the purpose.  Those who love souls must be ever watchful, must venture and bear all the painful effects of their faithfulness, and take all opportunities of making known the pure gospel.
"Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 1:13).  Hold fast to the Gospel of God, for by it you are saved!


"Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil" (Proverbs 4:27).

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