Endure with me what we suffer for Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:3-13

3 Endure as I do what we suffer for Christ Jesus, like a good soldier endures what he suffers. 4 You know that soldiers, in order to please their captain, do not ◄become involved in civilian affairs/spend time doing other kinds of work► [MET]. So, like soldiers, do not let other matters ◄distract you as you serve/hinder you from serving► Christ Jesus! 5 Similarly, you know that athletes who do not obey the rules of the contest will not be given {not win} the prize [MET]. So, like athletes, do all that Christ Jesus has commanded so that God will reward you! 6 You also know that a hard-working farmer should be the first to receive some of the harvest [MET]. So, like farmers, work hard for Christ Jesus and expect that God will reward you! 7 Think about what I have just written, because, if you do, the Lord will enable you to understand everything that you need to understand. 8 Endure everything by remembering how Jesus Christ endured it when he suffered. Remember that he came back to life {God raised him from the dead} and God affirmed/declared him to be king as his ancestor King David was. Those are things that I tell to people when I tell them the message about Christ. 9 I am suffering here in prison because some people oppose the good message that I tell. They have even put me in chains as if I were a criminal. Nevertheless, the message from God is not chained {nothing is preventing [MET] others from proclaiming the message from God}. 10 Therefore I willingly endure all that I am suffering for the sake of those whom God has chosen. I do this in order that Christ Jesus will save them, too, and that they will be forever with him in the glorious place where he is. 11 Endure everything as you remember that these words that we all say/sing (OR, that we teach people) are trustworthy:

Since we have stopped behaving as we did in the past, as though we died when he died,

we shall also live with him.

12 Since we are also patiently enduring what we suffer,

we shall also rule with him.

But if we say that we do not know him,

he also will say that he does not know us.

13 If we ◄are unfaithful/stop doing what he tells us to do►,

he will treat us just like he promised to do,

because he ◄can never be untrue to himself/always does what he says that he will do►.