feet at the beginning of the heavenly race, but there is no possibility of receiving the

Lord's approval at the end and being crowned by Him unless we have kept the rules

which are so clearly set out in the practical sections of the Prison Epistles which make

known our `high calling of God in Christ Jesus'.

(3) The Farmer:

The reference here is to the labouring husbandman, i.e. the farmer of gardener who

works. Everyone knows that hard work must precede any lasting results in gardening or

farming. The lazy man gets no results. His land, covered with weeds, is an open

indication of his idleness. In this section of the epistle therefore, the stress is on Christian

service and all that it entails. In the Scriptures distinction is made between the believer

looked at as a saved sinner and justified in the Lord's sight by faith and grace, and the

believer as a servant of the Lord who can render to Him either good or bad service. Let

us be quite clear as regard to this. Some, not recognizing the all-sufficiency of God's

work in justifying the sinner who believes in Christ, try to combine this with human

works and so attempt to supplement what God has done. This is serious indeed for it

denies the finished work of Christ on the cross. When He said "It is finished", the work

of redemption was completed in the fullest sense of the word and needed no human

Indeed, all such are an evidence of unbelief.  On the other hand, there are others

who so stress salvation by grace apart form works that "good works" form no part of

their conception of Truth. They have forgotten that although Eph. 2: 8, 9 states that

grace-by-faith-salvation is `not of works', yet it is `unto good works' (verse 10). In other

words `good works' or Christian service and witness should flow from such free and

unmerited salvation. The sinner has been saved to serve, and let us make no mistake,

every true believer is called by the Lord to serve Him and to discover His will in this

respect. It is only self-deception to refuse to recognize this. The words servant and

service so permeate the epistles that it must be deliberate blindness that eliminates such

service and responsibility to the Lord from the Christian's life. To the believers at

Colossae Paul wrote `ye serve the Lord Christ' (Col. 3: 23, 24) and what a privilege it is

to be allowed to serve such a Saviour and such a Master! On the other hand let us

remember that the Lord has no conscripts among His people. Service will never be

forced by Him. It must rather be the practical response of our love and gratitude to Him.

We can be good servants or bad servants, faithful or unfaithful, and a righteous heavenly

Father must and will take account of this in the day of reckoning for what we have done

in His Name during our earthly life time.

In the section of II Timothy we are studying, we repeat that it is the labouring farmer

that is being stressed. How far are we prepared to really labour for the Lord? Are we

prepared to sacrifice and tire ourselves for Him? We can often tire ourselves in our

pleasures, but what about our daily service for the One Who has given His all for us?

The true answer to this shows the extent of our love for Him, no more and no less. Let us