Paul is exhorting Timothy as his student to remain faithful in the calling given to him by Jesus Christ. His perspective was being altered by the world around him, so Paul repeats the most important things to keep in mind as Timothy struggles with the world around him. This is then our exhortation when we are struggling with the same things.

1. Like a soldier, we shouldn't get distracted by the world we left behind.
2. Like an athlete, we shouldn't disqualify ourselves from our pursuit of Jesus.
3. Like a farmer, we should get to know Jesus for ourselves while we share Him with everyone else.