The triad of comparisons—soldier, athlete, farmer—was also employed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:7, 24–27 and was used similarly by other writers in the Greco-Roman world. For the present purposes a mere mention of each suffices. Each of the three comparisons in its own way represents a life that requires discipline, resolve, well-defined commitments, application, sacrifice, and endurance; and when so done, that yields a proper reward. First, Timothy is a “good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2:3) that is,