In 2 Timothy, Paul encouraged Timothy and offered strength to help him carry on after Paul’s impending death, demonstrating Paul’s great courage and trust in the face of death. Paul uses the image of a good soldier to illustrate the need to endure hardship in order to receive eternal glory.
2Ti 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
According to Strong’s dictionary, “endure hardness” - kakopatheō; means to undergo hardship: to be afflicted and suffer trouble. Paul had been an extraordinary sufferer for Christ; such as receiving “stripes above measure”, frequent imprisonments and often the dangers of death (see 2 Co 11:23-28):
2Co 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2Co 11:26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
2Co 11:27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2Co 11:28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Remember Christ’s Promise to Paul
No other apostle has suffered so much for Christ and yet Paul could still rely on Jesus (see 2 Cor 12:9) “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. In Paul’s view, his sufferings became opportunities for Christ to manifest the power and sufficiency of His grace, which Paul had received in his times of trial and so could attest by his experience the strength of divine grace.
Paul goes on in verse 10, saying, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” When we are weak in ourselves, then we are strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; we will depend on Christ and draw strength from Him especially during such instances of weakness.
Paul’s attitude to hardships
We can either become bitter and angry about hard and dark times, or we can see how God uses them to shape and mold us spiritually. See Paul’s faith resounding and exemplified in his attitude towards suffering in Rom 5:3-5).
Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us
Indeed, something good can come out of our suffering. Tribulation worketh patience, not in and of itself, but because of the powerful grace of God that works. Perhaps that is when we can most keenly know of God’s providential care. Through this experience of how He cares and provides for us even in dark times, it leads us to build our patience. Just as steel is made malleable by the fire, we see and experience how God loves us, bringing out the best in us and draws us closer to Him during difficult times as we rely on Him.
Paul’s Unshakeable Confidence in God
In Paul’s unshakable confidence, we can see that nothing—absolutely nothing!—can separate us from the love of Christ (see Rom 8:35-37).
Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Rom 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
While it might seem frustrating or awful at the moment, we should (and can!) trust God to strengthen us and provide a way for us to overcome the various challenges that we face in life.
Drawing from what Paul had learned about God and his faithfulness through all suffering, in the face of tribulation, we should likewise confidently declare, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (see Rom 8:31).