Thursday, April 28,
2022
Therefore, God
elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all
other names, that at the name of
Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
Yesterday’s
post[1] about
Cross-bearing, and today’s topic of Crown-wearing are so connected we can see a
syllogism that makes an eternity statement:
You will be crowned by Christ in Heaven
To the same degree you have crowned Him here on Earth.
Don't
forget that the spiritual far outweighs the material or natural. In the spiritual realm, things are always
reversed from the way they were in the natural.
That which was high will be made low; the first shall be last.
Following
that sunbeam thought back to the source, we can also say that those who appear to be less than worthy of wearing a crown (here on
earth) will be the very ones wearing them in Heaven. Who are they?
They are all who have truly allowed their lives to be firmly rooted in
Christ. They are the disciples who only
bow to the crucified, risen King of Glory, Jesus. These are they, for whom nothing took higher
priority than Christ-likeness. They
were, as Paul expressed, not conformed to the image of this world, but
transformed in mind and thought by Christ to serve what pleases God, not self.[2]
If
friends, or a family, church, or even a nation would be honored, in heaven,
then Christ-likeness must be the
goal, our target for life. Hear the
testimony of Scripture on the matter:
James,
Jesus’ brother:
God blesses those who patiently
endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive
the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
John,
the beloved disciple:
…the twenty-four elders fall
down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and
ever). And they lay their crowns
before the throne and say, “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist
because you created what you pleased.”
Revelation 4:10-11
Jesus,
laying out the indisputable measuring stick:
Then he said to the crowd, “If
any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own
way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23
Cross-Bearing and Crown-Wearing!
For You Today
Taking up the cross
daily has a reward in Heaven.
Anticipating the crown, followers of Jesus will not be
disappointed. And neither will those who
(sadly) choose to walk away from the cross to follow their own path.
[1] Title image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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