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Author: Tadhg Lynch, from the Servants of the Word, an international, ecumenical brotherhood of men living single for the Lord.

The 24/7 Disciple Challenge

In his second letter to Timothy, Paul exhorts Timothy to evangelize, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:5)

Here’s a challenge! Always do something. Anything. Every day of your life. Resolve to always rise at 6.30am. Decide to always drink three glasses of water a day. Choose to always exercise for 30 minutes every day. Even mentioning the thought makes something inside of us squirm and think “I’ll never be able to do that. What’s the point of even trying, if I’m sure I’m going to miss a day somewhere…” Just what is Paul getting at here as he exhorts his young disciple Timothy? Surely he knows that it’s nearly impossible for us human beings to always do something. Perhaps it is very hard, but our message for today is not simply to “do” more stuff – Paul asks Timothy – and the Lord asks us, to be something, or to be someone. If you want to improve your health and lose weight, resolve to be someone who always drinks 3 glasses of water a day. If you want to be a successful athlete, start by choosing to train for 30 minutes every day. As Christians, we are called to bear the image of Christ – we are called into a radical act of “being” someone to other people every day. To properly do the work of an evangelist –we must live a life that is so infectious, so joyful, so sober, so patient in tribulation and so marked with the fragrance of Christ that we end up being a message to those around us all day, every day. A 24-7 disciple.

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.