Crown-Wearing

 

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.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] April 27, 2022, Cross-Bearing

[2] Romans 12:2

Cross-Bearing

 

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.  Philippians 2:5-8

Paul’s words to the church reminds us that the man who died on Calvary wasn't like any other man; HE was God!  Paul said that Jesus made himself nothing.  One Bible translation uses the word emptied.  The picture is one of sacrifice. 

In the temple a sacrifice of an animal was made for sin.  The blood and water were poured on the altar, an emptying.  Like that picture, imagine God was in one form in heaven.  Like a glass contains water and can be emptied, so God poured Himself into the form of a man and died for us. 

Of course, Paul was looking back to what Jesus said about following – a disciple becomes just like the Master.  And what Jesus said about that was it would include the more sticky parts of that which Jesus was willing to do for others. 

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

This should put to rest the notion that salvation and discipleship are handled neatly in a moment’s decision at the end of a church service.  Jesus said take up your cross DAILY!

W. E. Orchard wrote:  It may take a crucified church to take a crucified Christ before the eyes of the world.  If a person is to be Christ-like, it will be through cross-bearing.  So, what’s the definition of cross-bearing? 

·       Attending church worship services in our comfortable seats, in air-conditioned sanctuaries is not cross-bearing. 

·       Paying our tithes and giving offerings is not cross-bearing. 

·       Serving on committees, or showing up for workdays isn't cross-bearing. 

Those acts of worship and service, doing things for others, are not bad or a waste of time.  True disciples do all that…and much more.  But cross-bearing is beyond just being kind or helpful, or committed to routines or rituals…it is the attitude Paul said Jesus had, being willing to die for others…people who didn’t have a clue how much of a gift was coming their way…even the ones who shouted out crucify him, and the ones who engineered having him nailed to the cross. 

So, what about us…those of us who claim to follow Him as disciples?  Do we have the Christ-likeness to give ourselves up for poor people in our county?  How about people of different skin color?  What about the unchurched and uncaring?  What about the dirty street people?  Beloved, following the Master in true cross-bearing, emptying oneself for the sake of another, is a far cry from deciding to fry chicken for Homecoming this year! 

For You Today

If you’ve ever been challenged at this point of discipleship, to become a cross-bearing follower of Jesus, you’ve also asked the question:  WHY?  Aside from the obvious (response to His loving death on a cross for you), there is another, most personal reason.  It has to do with the result of cross-bearing. 

So, let me tease you into tomorrow’s devotion:

If cross-bearing is the decision, crown-wearing is the destination.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©   

Ever Closer

[1]

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets.  And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son.  God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.  The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.  When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.  This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names.  Hebrews 1:1-4^(NLT)

If there is one common theme I have encountered over the years serving as a pastor, it is that where is God kind of question.  People with faith, but struggling because of some tragedy or unexplained burden…or people without faith and trying to be brave, whistling in the dark because they’re afraid God really does exist, and they missed Him, always seem to default to the apparent absence of God theory.  After all, they reason you can’t see Him; so if He actually exists, He just doesn’t care enough to care for me.

But that is reasoning which ignores the facts.  Consider the Biblical evidence; when Adam and Eve sinned it was they who hid themselves from God, not the other way around.  Ever since, says the writer of Hebrews, God has been reaching out to us humans by many means, including inspiring prophets to warn us to get right with God.  And, when all efforts of deity were rejected by humanity, God laid aside the prerogatives of divinity and personally took on human flesh, reaching-out to us with the gift of His only Son. 

This is not an absentee God who is uncaring; this is He who moves ever closer!

The inquiring mind would ask:  Just how close does He want to get to me?  The answer is ever constant:  He comes as close as your invitation…and not a millimeter closer!

The naturally-following thought in this line of reasoning is always a tough one:  If God wants to come close, what’s going to happen if I say OK?  What if I invite Him to come really close…all the way to that being His thing?  Do I have to become a preacher, or go to Africa as a missionary?  What does He want to do with me when He gets close?

The short answer here is incredibly simple and complex at the same time.  The simple part of the answer is love; when He gets up close He loves you!  The complex part is that “love” means He does what is best for you.  Nobody can predict what that means, including you – and that’s where trust comes in.  Trusting God to love you (meaning He always does what is best for you), is placing everything in His hands. 

It’s called faith.

For You Today

If in the faith department you’ve been circling the airport looking for a good place to land, and you’ve never managed to get the wheels on the ground, here is a little guidance beam to bring your life onto the landing strip:

‘Ever closer’ means He wants to live IN you and have YOU in Him!

He’s waiting for your invitation.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com