Index: WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH: Metaphors of Faithful Christian Service in Difficult Times

Part 1 - Introduction
Part 2 - The Devoted Soldier
Part 3 - The Rule-Abiding Athlete
Part 4 - The Hard-Working Farmer (with Conclusion)

THE HARD-WORKING FARMER (Part 4 of 4: When the Going Gets Tough: Metaphors of Faithful Christian Service in Difficult Times)

"The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops." (2 Timothy 2:6)

Last year, the National Bureau of Investigation reported a large-scale pyramid scheme that victimized some 15,000 people in Visayas and Mindanao. The culprit is Manuel Amalilio through his Malaysia-based company. The total amount of money involved is said to be around 12 billion pesos. Though I symphatize with the victims, I see that people want to get rich quick without much effort. The multitudes of people falling in line before a lotto outlet once the jackpot hit nine digits is also an indicator of this.

There is no instant income in farming. For instance, planting onions would take three to five months before you could harvest; and while waiting you have to work hard. The idea of working hard for a long period of time in a farm, enduring heat or rain, is simply not appealing to us. Yet for Paul, a faithful servant of God must imitate the hardworking farmer's work ethic. The assurance Paul gives is that if we end endure hardships in serving God, we will enjoy the fruits of our labors when harvest time comes.
 
I started this series by showing how tough if is for our Christian brothers in America with the current president's agenda regarding gay marriage. Things only got worse since then with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the Defense of Marriage Act.

In his inaugural address, President JFK's word: "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." While we Christians should be eager to heed those words, what could we do when the government says, "Because of your gospel convictions, our country does not need you."

In moments like this, we turn to another quote commonly attributed to JFK's father, Joseph P. Kennedy: "When the Going Gets Tough,the Tough Get Going"