“Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward,” said the apostle John to the believers in his Second Letter (2 John 1:8, ESV).
And so it is: The apostle’s (and God’s!) desire was for a “full reward,” that is, a “complete reward,” or as other Bible versions put it, an “abundant reward,” in the sense of receiving the full payment or the deserved prize.
There are many people who fail to fully enjoy the fruit of their previous efforts… just for not continuing with “the same diligence until the end”! (Heb. 6:11), just for getting “stuck” at some point in the journey.
This verse wants to tell us something: Faith in God brings great dividends; but striving and continually remaining in the truth is what fully blesses us.
THE NEED FOR A “SECOND WIND”
In those words, John encourages us to long for that “full reward” for the efforts we have made to love God and to serve in His work. The opposite would be deciding to stay “halfway,” thus obtaining only a portion of all that He has reserved for us.
The apostle’s words are like saying: -If you have already fought so hard until now, why not complete what you started and what God entrusted to you, so that you make all your previous efforts worthwhile?-
Brother: Your “second wind” must be so strong and so determined that it does justice to the “fury” with which you started at the beginning of your Christian journey.
CHALLENGED TO ARRIVE “WITH GLORY”
Contrary to what people believe, God not only wants us to give Him recognition, but He also gives it to us. I want you to know that God does recognize all your efforts up to this point, not only for remaining in Him, being a faithful believer, keeping yourself pure, and seeking justice, but also for fighting for your life, for your family, for lifting up your loved ones, for making yourself strong, for forgiving… for doing what is right, for rising from problems… and for serving others!
This is precisely why He inspires us to keep striving until the end, so that we enjoy the gain of what we have invested!
These texts testify to this:
“…holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain” (Phil. 2:16, ESV).
“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Phil. 3:12, ESV).
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:24, 27, ESV).
“Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it” (Heb. 4:1, ESV).
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (Heb. 10:35, ESV).
“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” (Heb. 12:3, ESV).
BEGIN, BUT REMAIN... AND ARRIVE
The context of the Letter in which this exhortation is found is revealing. It refers to not deviating from the Christian faith that brought us to God through faith in Christ. At that moment in history, “many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh” (2 John 1:7, ESV). It was about “abiding in the truth” (2 John 1:2, ESV), and “not receiving” anyone who did not bring “this teaching” (2 John 1:10, ESV).
Many of the Christian readers of this Epistle had suffered many hardships for defending the truth previously, and yet after some time, they ceased to be as zealous and brave in guarding the truth, “watching” for error.
Similarly, and in the same vein, the believers in the Church in Galatia were told by Saint Paul: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel. O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” (Gal. 1:6; 3:1; 5:7, ESV).
And now in our days, just as in the time of Jesus, many began well in the ways of God, only to later turn aside and lose all that was achieved. “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God’” (Luke 9:62, ESV).
WHY MIGHT YOU NOT REACH YOUR FULNESS?
It is not easy to advance, and for this reason, not everyone reaches the end well. Many people, for example, fought very hard in their faith for a long time, and even for many years, but in the end, slowed their steps.
Why might we fail to reach that “full reward”? The worst enemies of your final reward are complacency, fatigue, and disappointment, and you must guard against them to avoid losing it.
Complacency. Complacency is not giving your best, not giving 100%. This attitude “tells us” that it doesn’t matter how we arrive, just that we do, that “something is better than nothing,” and that “at least we tried.” Complacency occurs when we lose enthusiasm and motivation, when we allow our interests to shift, and when we stop paying the price, getting involved in other things.
Fatigue. Fatigue sets in when we feel our mental, physical, and spiritual energy has been exhausted. It is also when the level of God’s power in which we moved before dies down, and our passion fades. Fatigue tells us that we depend on our own strength and not God’s, that we can’t go on because we’ve fought too much, that it’s “not fair” that we struggle so much, that we deserve to rest.
Disappointment. Disappointment comes when we are hindered by the bad example or injustice of others, as well as ingratitude, things that leave us with a feeling of personal loss, no longer having a heart to serve and invest in the Kingdom. Disappointment feels like resentment about no one recognizing our work, others just taking advantage of us, or no one appreciating what we have done for them.
THE REWARD FOR YOUR EFFORTS
The sad condition of someone who gives up is that they not only fail to reach what God promised, but they also miss out on the reward for their previous efforts.
The verse in question exhorts us to watch ourselves and be careful, being alert “so that we may not lose what we have worked for” (ESV), “so that the fruit of our work is not lost” (NBV), “so that all the good we have done does not go to waste,” both our work for the ministry and the ministry of others in us (TLA). We must be alert so as not to lose “what we have accomplished” (2 John 1:8, LBLA)... “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body” (2 Cor. 5:10, ESV). And the one who plants and the one who waters are one, though each will receive his own reward according to his labor. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire” (1 Cor. 3:8, 14-15, ESV).
Your ambition in life should be: I want to complete the work God gave me to do on this earth!
THE ADVICE THAT CHALLENGES US TO MOVE FORWARD
Listen carefully to John’s advice again! “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2 John 1:8, ESV).
Obtain your full reward, the rightful result of your labor. Do not settle for “half” of what God has for you. You have begun to climb a ladder, and you are closer than before to reaching your destination. Remember all that you have sown, and value all the effort you have already made. God does value it! And that is why He exhorts you to continue what you started, remaining passionate about Him and being diligent in His Kingdom.
When your strength is worn out from the struggle, ask God to renew you. He is the one who “satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:5, ESV).
Many remained in the church forever, but far from the involvement they once had with the work of God.
Analyze:
Were you more of a “fighter” before than you are now?
Are you as bold, dreaming, and hardworking as you were before?
Are you as loving and giving as you were before?
Do you avoid all temptation and focus only on the perspective of eternity?
Listen: Even if you had a bad start in life, or you got tired along the way, or you made mistakes and have regrets, you can still finish well!
Remember: It is not enough to begin or have run well, but to finish the race… and at this point in your life, it is more important to finish well than to have started well.
We have a tremendous challenge, to desire and acquire our full reward. “Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him” (2
Tim. 2:3-13, ESV).
By Ariel Romero López
(c) 2024
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