“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16: 11)
“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything” (2 Tim. 2:3-7).
The fact that the Christian life is all grace all the time does not make it easy. Discipline is an essential part of it, and if we put this together we should see that true discipline is yet another form that grace takes. The AV says “endure hardness” here, but the context is the discipline of certain kinds of callings or vocations. Three such callings are named — the military life, the athletic life, and the farming life. A good soldier does not get distracted by civilian pursuits, since his single focus is to please the one who enlisted him in the army. An athlete has to compete within the rules, and this means (incidentally) that he must train rigorously enough that competition within the rules is a possibility. And last, the farmer should expect to partake of the crops that he has raised. Paul says that Timothy should think about this, and the Lord will give him insight. It appears from this that Paul is saying something more in-depth than simply discipline is good for three callings, and therefore discipline is good for the Christian minister. He points to three different aspects of discipline, each one illustrated in that particular calling (although they all apply in all three). St. Paul says that a disciplined soldier does not get distracted. He says that a disciplined athlete competes within the rules. A disciplined farmer enjoys the fruit of his labor. Putting this all together — the disciplined Christian minister is focused as a good soldier is, he is rule-conscious as a good athlete is, and he enjoys the harvest as a good farmer does.
As an aside, it is important to note that Paul no more looks down his nose at the military life or athletic pursuits than he disparages farming.