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. 2 Timothy 4:8
The Apostle Paul is giving some final exhortations to his spiritual son, Timothy as well as to all believers. Right in the middle of it all, we have a glimpse into the world to come with Paul’s revelation concerning one of the crowns — the crown of righteousness. There’s this one verse about the crown, then he goes back to giving instructions to Timothy.
So, what about this crown? One very encouraging thing to note is Paul’s confidence not only in the crown’s existence but in his assurance that the Lord would be presenting him with it on that Day; the day of the Judgment Seat of Christ. That is the day in each believer’s life to receive a reward for the things done in this life that can abide the fire. As the Lord reveals in the third chapter of First Corinthians, every believer’s works will be tried by fire and there are basically two categories of works.
First, are the works that are represented by gold, silver and precious stones. These works will make it through the fire and will be rewarded in eternity. The second group of works is represented by wood, hay and straw. Obviously, all three of these are easily consumed by fire so, any of these types of works will pass away with this life and bring no reward in heaven.
But, how does this translate into everyday life for a believer? Paul pointed out three things to Timothy in the verse preceding our verse for today. These three things had to do with the fight, the race and the faith. It wasn’t just any fight or just any race or any faith; it was the fight, the race, the faith. It was all about the Father’s will for his life. The Lord has no reward for someone living their own life their own way, for they have already received their reward in this life.
The Lord is indeed a rewarder, but the key is knowing what rewards He gives and how they are obtained. When you are born again, you have a home in heaven, but it does not follow that you will be loaded down with rewards. Some believers will make it into heaven but with very little to show for their time on earth. People looking at their life may have thought they had it all because of their earthly pursuits and accomplishments, indeed seeing that they laid up quite the chest full of treasure here in this life.
Jesus tells us to lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven and that is quite another thing. If you want to be as sure as Paul that there will be a crown awaiting your arrival in that Day, then here is your key to laying up that heavenly treasure; keep your eyes on Jesus and run the race God has for you, fighting the good fight of faith every day.
Live your life for the One who gives life and remember that it is not about your will but rather His will. Don’t look forward to anything in this life as much as you look forward to meeting your Savior face to face. Then you can be sure the Lord has a crown just for you!
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