Compete According to the Rules
We may not like it, but we are in a competition in life. The key is to discern the real competition and not fall for the fake competitions.
I love a line from the Paraklesis to our parish saints, Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene: “We entreat you, O Martyr of Christ, who with Nicholas and Irene for His sake competed according to the rules: Save us from injuries by our unruly opponent, through your earnest prayers to our tender-loving Lord.” The good Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanites wrote this Paraklesis to our patron saints and I love how he contrasts the saints, who “competed according to the rules” as opposed to the evil one who is the “unruly opponent.”
And we must fully come face-to-face with the reality that this life is a competition!
We are in a “race” first to know our true “finish line” and to train for this race by knowing WHO waits for us at the finish line of our lives.
But there is a way to compete that leads to finishing well and an “unruly opponent” bound and determined to get you off course and ruin your race.
Knowing what the faithful “rules of competition” are and then exercising the discipline of a faithful spiritual athlete to run the race successfully is the wisdom preserved in the lifestyle of a Normal Orthodox Christian.
But how are we to “compete according to the rules?” As usual, it all involves Jesus Christ!
Look at our lesson today in 2 Timothy 2:1-10:
Timothy, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier on service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will grant you understanding in everything.
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descended from David, as preached in my gospel, the gospel for which I am suffering and wearing fetters like a criminal. But the word of God is not fettered. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain salvation in Christ Jesus with its eternal glory.
Timothy was St. Paul's spiritual son. He led a community that St. Paul had started and would become the first bishop of Ephesus. St. Paul helped his spiritual son with several principles to help Timothy take responsibility for his choices and fulfill his ministry. He laid out the “rules” for Timothy to compete well.
Notice how Paul speaks to Timothy.
He tells him to be “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Paul often puts “Christ” in front of “Jesus” to reinforce the unique anointing (The word “Christ” means “anointed One”) of Jesus as the expected Messiah. Being strong in the grace of Jesus means staying confident and dependent on the strength and ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Savior. Jesus is the conqueror of death, Jesus is the Risen Lord, and Jesus is the Son sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven. The grace of Jesus Christ is the power the Lord uses to empower those to whom He gives His grace to transform them, to make them able to live up to their created potential, and to follow the wisdom of God for life.
The next wisdom to be able to live with the consequences of our choices and “compete according to the rules” is to square our shoulders in the face of suffering. But Paul tells Timothy that this suffering is “as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Wanting to avoid suffering might make sense, but we do suffer in life.
If our suffering is meaningful, it is endurable. We will do anything to avoid suffering if we value comfort over responsibility.
But if I am truly free in Christ Jesus, I will face suffering with the sure truth that Christ will carry me through the suffering!
Avoiding suffering to a point makes sense, but escaping into the delusion that I can avoid all suffering and still be a strong spiritual “athlete” is simply a fantasy! Suppose I have the courage and humility to see suffering not as something to be avoided at all costs but as the weights in the spiritual gym meant to strengthen me. In that case, no suffering is worthless, and all my suffering is filled with potential and meaning!
This is an actual life-changing perspective!
Finally, Paul tells Timothy that dealing with the consequences of his choices is like being an athlete and a farmer. This means I am willing to train and work hard and then be patient as I wait for the results of my faithfulness to bear fruit. This analogy of an athlete and a farmer is a helpful metaphor for teaching me that the freedom of a follower of Jesus rests in my willingness to be trained, practiced, and disciplined and to run my race well.
If I follow the “rules” to compete and plant according to wisdom, I will reap the benefits of a well-lived life! I am also called to work the soil of my heart so that the Word of God finds my heart a welcoming place to be planted deeply and bear fruit as I tend the garden of my heart as a faithful “farmer!”
St. Theodore the Tyro, the Great Martyr, was a recruit in the Roman Army when he lined in Pontus on the coast of the Black Sea in the 4th century. He was a faithful Christian, and when his new commander ordered the recruits to offer incense to the pagan gods, Theodore refused and boldly proclaimed himself a Christian. His commander gave him a few days to reconsider his rejection of the pagan gods and the embrace of Christ, but Theodore was committed to “competing according to the rules” of a faithful Christian. He again refused to deny Christ and was martyred by fire in 306.
Today, your life as a faithful follower of Jesus Christ means you don’t hide from reality. You are mature enough to see the word of God active and free in your life, transforming and continuing to shape your life every day to be “like Christ.” K+Living a Normal Orthodox life is all about living in the reality of Jesus Christ!
P.S. Great are the achievements of faith! In the fountain of flame, as by the water of rest, the holy Martyr Theodore rejoiced; for having been made a whole-burnt offering in the fire, he was offered as sweet bread unto the Trinity. By his prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack. Watch the Faith Encouraged YouTube Channel here - https://www.youtube.com/@FaithEncouragedTV
