Jim Otto was the center for the Oakland Raiders for 15 seasons. He endured more pain while starting 210 consecutive games than probably any other athlete in NFL history. Otto is recognized as one of the greatest and most durable centers the game of football has ever seen. During his 15-year career, he never missed a game. When Otto retired following the 1974 season, he had played in 308 games as a Raider. In his book, Jim Otto: The Pain of Glory, he tells his story of enduring numerous injuries and frequent surgeries.

Determination to endure suffering is crucial to football players—it’s also an essential quality for the Christian. Paul warns Timothy in Chapter 2 to expect pain, similar to what Paul had endured. To help him plan for what a servant of the gospel might need to endure, he uses several illustrations of people who face hardship to achieve a worthy goal. The athlete is one of these illustrations of making sacrifices to do its work well.

2 Timothy 2 – Never Ending

Jim Otto reached many of his goals in the NFL because he was determined to reach his goal. That’s what Paul teaches Timothy in verse 5 of 2 Timothy 2. The Greek word “competes as an athlete” is a continuous, never-ending competition. This verb generally means to compete for something or to engage in a contest. This specific verb form means you actively might wrestle. Competes describe the determination to do your best. It’s the motivation to win. Competing as an athlete is about internal striving for winning and fighting for excellence.

Since Christ is the way of salvation, we should be determined to make His gospel message known. We should also strive to obey His Word with a heart of excellence, like athletes putting their best effort into following Christ. The Christian athlete and coach aim to conform to the same likeness as Jesus Christ through their athletic performance. God desires you to become just like Jesus. There is coming a day when you will be just like Jesus. Think about that. You will share in His glory and be in His very presence (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete recognize that anything they suffer is nothing compared to the suffering of Jesus. They regularly practice repentance by turning away from sin and submitting their lives to Christ.