Guest Post
by John Doyle
Throughout history, crowns have been the primary image for authority and honour. I remember as a 5 year old looking at the pictures of Queen Elizabeth being Crowned Queen of England in June 1953 and thinking as a child *Wow I would love to have a Crown like that*. After I had given my life to the Lord, I recall reading scripture and finding out that there is a crown awaiting me and His Church in Glory.
To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5: 1-4)
What an amazing promise to those who willingly serve the Lord!
So how do we willingly serve Him? It begins by CROWNING the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of our lives in ways that will transform and impact our lives. Crowns in the New Testament can symbolize the spiritual authority and power vested in us because of the gift of Salvation given to us by our Lord and Savior.
When we will willingly serve Him as described in the passage of scripture written by the disciple Peter above, there are wonderful ways that we can bring Honour and Majesty to our Mighty King if we apply the CROWN principals found in Gods Word:
It begins by:
1. Confessing Him as Lord and Savior of our Lives – Romans 10:9 “and if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.”
Confession simple means to own up to what you know and believe. If there is sin – Confess it to the Lord and He will Forgive. If you have Faith, confess it to others and Gods name will be glorified.
2. Rejoice in the Lord – Psalm 33:1 “Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous; befitting is the Praise of the upright”
Even in the difficult times we are all going through with the Lockdown we can still Rejoice in the Lord knowing that He has it all in His control and in His time He will make all things Beautiful -Read: Ecclesiastes 3:11.
3. Open your Heart and Mind – Please read Psalm 23: 1-6. A Psalm of David – We know that The Lord is our Shepherd and when we open up our Hearts and Minds to our Shepherd He will sometimes make us “Lie Down” He will “Lead us in the paths of righteousness” He “Restores” so lets always have open hearts and minds to His leading and His promise is “He will never leave us or forsake us”
4. Worship the King of Kings – Psalm 86:12 “I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and will glorify your name forever”
Its a wonderful thing to gather together at Church as Gods people and Worship the Lord, but worship begins in our hearts and minds and reflects in our speech and our actions. When we are thankful to the Lord whatever we maybe going through we are saying to this world “This world is not my home I’m just passing through” and we are going to glorify the name of the Lord “Forever”.
5. Never give up on your Faith in Christ – 1 Corinthians 9:25 – “and everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things, they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we do it for the imperishable Crown”
Its a journey of Faith and its never ending until we leave this earth, so we are encouraged by His Word to never give up on this journey despite the trials and tribulations that may come our way, especially in these days we are living.
We have one of the greatest Promises from the Lord that when we Faithfully wear these Crowns of Confession, Rejoicing, Open heart and Mind, Worship irrespective of circumstance and choose to Never give up.
The Promise is: 2 Timothy 4: 8-10 “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”.
What a day that will be when our Jesus we shall see and He comes from glory and provides for us with the CROWN of righteousness.
Final question – Do you Love the appearing of the Lord Jesus? The reward is a wonderful Crown given to us by the Lord Himself.
Time to sing with me:
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon the throne,
Hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns, all music but its own,
Awake my soul and sing, of Him Who died for thee,
And hail Him as Thy matchless King through all eternity.
In the Love of the Lord Jesus,
John and Barbara.
So blessed for you to use my devotional. God bless you.
Hallelujah!! Yes, crown The King of Kings with many crowns, till He comes to put the crown of righteousness on our heads. Thank you John and Barbara