September 11, 2021
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
~II Timothy 4:8~
As a child we enjoy playing "princess" or "queen," "king" or "prince." Dressing up and making our own attire and crowns out of paper or any other material we can find. A time of royalty causes us to imagine such glory. Crowns have a way of making us feel seen, heard and important. There is a type of crown that cannot be lost or broken. Jesus promises His children this type of crown, the crown of rightouesness. We can only receive this by belief in Him, by following Him with our whole heart and by waiting for His return each day understanding that it could be whichever day the Father has made. As we use our imaginations as children we begin to feel this type of joy and adventure knowing that what so ever we say will come to be in our own type of "kingdom." Each game a child plays seems so very real as we watch on as adults. This same enthusiasm is wanted by our Lord from His children. He longs for us to use our words to speak out as sons and daughters of the Father in Heaven.
"I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” (II Corinthians 6:18)
As we join in on this glorious calling, others who are lost will "watch on" as well, wondering where our joy is really coming from. Just as we can admire a child's inner joy and appreciation for what they believe is real to them, others look to us to show the adventures and joy of Jesus Christ.
Paul was a man pushing forward in his adventure with Jesus, preaching the word and using righteousness as His Banner wherever he went to serve. When he knew he did all he was supposed to he would receive his crown on that Day. The Day in which everything will tremble and see Jesus as King of Kings. The righteous shall inherit their crowns. Suddenly all of the excitement as earthly children grow into something quite beautiful as we grow to know the Lord Jesus. That paper, cardboard or felt crown turns into a crown of pure gold as we surrender to His journey. God is giving us a glorified reward to place upon our heads and its all because of our Righteous Judge.
When that Day appears, we will see our King and we will love it! In total reverence and celebration we will cast our crowns at Jesus' feet; "the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
(Revelation 4:10-11)
As we give praise, thanksgiving and do the will of Father; we begin to, as children, join in this beautiful adventure in God's Kingdom and understand what we are pressing on for.
The crowns are for us as we fight the good fight of faith. The crowns are for us as we love our neighbors more then we could ever love on our own. The crowns are for us when we ask for forgiveness or repent. The crowns are for us when we stay alert waiting for Jesus to come back. No matter how good or how bad things may seem, we can go to our inner child imagination and remember there is a crown that is for us and it is very much so real. It is more then just a game. It is a way of living. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans 12:1)
Paul gave his body up as a living sacrifice, he was poured out as a drink offering. He was willing to lose it all to gain Christ and receive that crown of righteousness. That crown that we so longed for as a child in all fun is ours for the taking in Christ Jesus. We long await the Day when He will say "well done my good and faithful servant." Let us receive our crowns and endure to the very end!
Prayer:
Abba, thank you for the gift of righteousness by Your Son. I am satisfied with serving You each day I live on this earth, this is what I am alive for . Lord help me to focus my eyes on You and to await Your coming again as it can most definitely be any day You will arrive and I want to always be ready. Lead me into each moment with faith as a child who is ready to receive my crown. I am honored to be Your daughter/son. Use me more. Guide me into all righteous acts. I pray for strength as I endure and preach the word of truth. I join in with the angels and sing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come! In the Name of my Righteous Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.