Thirty years ago, I preached a sermon titled “Dedicated, Law-Abiding, and Hardworking” from 2 Timothy 2, beginning with verse 3. My life, especially in the early years, was wrapped up in three metaphors from 2 Timothy 2:3–7—the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer. When I write words for Generation Z (those born between 1995 and 2015), these are among the first verses that come to mind.

I grew up on a cattle and grain farm in northeastern Kansas. Therefore, I learned the value of hard work from my youth up. I was driving a tractor in the hay fields before starting first grade. Little did I know then that it is the hardworking farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops (2 Tim. 2:6). I entered grade school, and I learned immediately that I like sports.

I played all available sports in high school (in those years, we didn’t have the breadth of the sports we have today, especially at a small school), and I played basketball at Geneva College. In that arena, I learned that an athlete must play according to the rules (v. 5). After coaching for a year at Geneva College after graduation, I was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent one full year as an infantryman/company clerk, beginning at the rank of private E-1 in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. While there, I learned that a good soldier must be dedicated and cannot be entangled in civilian affairs (v. 4).