Circuit Breaker Devotions

Congratulations if you have made it thus far in this series of devotions! Well done! God placed in my heart the need to prepare His people for His glorious return. That’s the main purpose for this devotional series. My prayer and plan was that these devotions will help to shape your priorities, get you started on a daily process of spending time with God and self-examination, and remind you of the great prize awaiting you when Jesus returns. However, I…

Paul asks in 1 Cor 9:7, “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk?” This expectation of reward is also weaved throughout 2 Tim 2:3–6 – the soldier is expecting his commanding officer’s praise, the athlete is expecting a winner’s crown, and the farmer is expecting to receive the first share of his crop. And so, while the previous…

Now, let us put all that we have meditated on the past few days and begin to put the pieces together. Re-looking at the imageries of soldier, athlete, and farmer again, do you recognize all three of them have adopted a posture of humble submission? The soldier submits to the orders from his commanding officer, the athlete submits to the rules of the race, while the farmer submits his crops to God’s gracious provision of rain. To be fully prepared…

After using the imageries of a dutiful soldier and a disciplined athlete, Paul now considers the imagery of a diligent farmer. 2 Tim 2:6 reads, “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.” While all three imageries share common aspects of purpose, process, priority, posture, and prize, Paul introduces a dimension only peculiar to the farmer. The farmer must continually put his faith in God to provide rain at its proper time. While it…

Thus far we have examined how an athlete must have a clear plan and undergo a rigorous training process. However, 2 Tim 2:5 reminds us that an athlete must also abide by the rules to receive the winner’s crown. What “rules” does God expect from us? Read Luke 12:35–48 at this juncture. These familiar parables teach us that God expects us to be consistently faithful in service. Faithfulness in service is that straight and narrow path we walk on after…

Spiritual growth, like all kinds of growth, is not automatic. There is in fact a very specific Methodist process for spiritual growth. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, crafted three simple guides for Christian discipleship and growth. In Methodism, they became known as The General Rules. The institution of the class meeting and the first two rules essentially echo Romans 12:9 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” John Wesley instructed Methodists…

Moving from the imagery of a soldier, Paul now uses the imagery of an athlete. 2 Tim 2:5 says, “Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules.” If the imagery of a soldier seeking only to please his commanding officer teaches us the need to have a clear purpose, the imagery of an athlete teaches us the need to have a clear plan for training. Paul wrote in…

We return to 2 Tim 2:3 where Paul writes, “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” Being a Christian necessarily entails embracing suffering or persecution. In today’s world we have plenty of preachers and Christians alike who only embrace all the benefits Christ brings but reject God’s gracious invitation to participate in the sufferings of Christ. While it is true that Christ’s death and resurrection brings us a lot of benefits – and I would readily admit…