Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him. James 1:12
As the school year comes to a close, the children are excited about receiving their final report cards and the official notification that they will be moving along to the next grade in September. For some children, there are often certificates or medals of merit in recognition of exceptional work done during the year. The children treasure those certificates and medals, as they should, and proudly show them to parents, relatives, and friends. It’s good to see the children receive the recognition that they deserve. As Christians, we also are in God’s great school, and are eligible for recognition for work well done along the way. Those awards are many, and include – among others – five great crowns that are identified in the Scriptures. They include the crown of life mentioned in our text. The first crown, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:25 is the incorruptible crown that is for those who run the Christian race well. The second, the crown of rejoicing, or soul-winners crown, is identified in 1 Thessalonians 2:19. The third, which we find in 2 Timothy 4:8 is the crown of righteousness for those who love our Lord’s appearing. The fourth is the crown of life that we are looking at today. And the fifth, the crown of glory, for the faithful shepherds of the Lord’s people, is found in 1 Peter 5:4. Oh what a wonderful awards ceremony when these crowns are handed out at the Judgment Seat of Christ!
The crown of life is for those who faithfully endure temptations. And we all will be tempted. The devil does his utmost to trip up the Christian and destroy our testimony. The world floods us with its trinkets and toys to distract us from the things of Christ. And the flesh is weak, constantly attracted to the lusts and the longings that would lead us into sin. It’s not easy to resist temptations. And most of us don’t do as well at it as we think we do. But the promise of a reward – a crown of life – is an incentive to us to persist in faithful service for our Lord and patient rejection of the temptations. We must also keep in mind that God allows the temptations to come, not to trip us up, but to enable us to overcome and become stronger Christians. He has also promised that He will not permit any temptation to come along that we are incapable of withstanding (1 Corinthians 10:13).
As parents and grandparents, we take great delight in seeing the children earn their awards and prizes. I am sure that the Lord Himself will take great delight when He issues the crown of life to all of His children who deserve it. -Jim MacIntosh