“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2nd Tim. 4:8)
Not, “I hope there is a crown waiting,” not “I am working very diligently to gain that and other crowns, obeying in everything, following all the precepts, ordinances and commandments,” but “I know.”
There are at least five crowns that I am aware of in the Scriptures that can be earned by those who have been born-again, not one of them is handed out to just anyone who walks into the Kingdom of the Everlasting Lord, they are earned, if you desire one or more of them, you must search them out like the jewels they are in the Scriptures, study on how to attain them, then with much prayer and supplication in all earnest begin to strive for them.
If you do not receive one, what do you plan on casting at His feet on that day all will stand before Him?
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” (James 4:3) In this enabled society that Satan is creating, awards are given for no effort, desires are granted to those who put forth nothing, people are rewarded for simply being alive, but not in the Kingdom of God. If you do not study to show yourself approved, you will not be approved, if you do not reach out to the lost, no one will come to the knowledge of the Savior because of your words, if you do not invest what has been given to you, you will be unprofitable, and Matthew 25:30 stands as a truth, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
All who have been saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are in some way profitable to the Kingdom of the Most high, but not all will wear one of those five crowns, they may have been persecuted for His sake as the Word of God promises, they may have gained a few coins for His glory, but they wear no crown in His presence, they have nothing to cast at His feet.
Many men of God that have come before me, men much wiser than myself have said these words that I now repeat in my own vernacular, many will hear “Welcome” as they walk through the straight gate, few will hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
You have to want one or more of those crowns, you have to strive fiercely for them, not for your own sake or selfish pursuits, but so on that day you are not standing in that mass of humanity with your brothers and sisters in the Lord watching as others give back to Him what they strove for whilst you stand there empty handed saying within yourself, “I wish I would have.”
If this is important to you, you will begin today to search the Scriptures for the knowledge of those crowns, you will find them, contemplate in prayer the way to obtain them, seek His face for guidance and begin to work for them.
Yes, work, personal effort in all humility to gain what is offered solely for His glory.
I realize that some reading this will contend these words, some believe that all are equal in the Kingdom of the Living God, but ponder this, who is rewarded more, the one who does much or the one who does little? Salvation is spoken of in the account of the man who owned the field and went out seeking laborers, paying each the same wage, for at the foot of the cross only One is lifted up.
The Scriptures are clear, these crowns must be worked for, Paul knew he was going to receive at least one of them, do you?
Begin your search today.
