The other night I was "doodling" with no idea what the final product would be -
Here is the end result...
Immediately I entitled it "Crown Of Glory" because I could picture it filled with jewels and glitter - like any Prince or Princess' crown should be - right?
1 Peter 5:4
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
The greek word for 'crown' is stephanos -which means a "garland of victory" ... in the times of the Grecian games the winner was given a crown of victory woven from ivy, parsley, myrtle. Of course, over time, these crowns would fade and fall apart. Not so with the crowns that we are given as faithful servants of God! Peter tells us that this Crown of Glory will never fade away! However, dear ones, it is not ours to keep and become prideful over. We will one day lay our crowns before the throne and praise our Lord.
Does that excite you?
Oh, It excites me!
We will sing this to HIm -
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they have their being.
Revelation 4: 10-11
This Crown of Glory will be awarded to those who have been leaders in His Kingdom... preaching, teaching, "feeding" His sheep with His Word. This crown is so much more valuable than any wealth we might have here on earth! The result of the work will be souls in the Heavenly Kigdom! How awesome is that! :)
I hope this encourages you today! As a leader in your church ministry - whatever that might be - please know that you will be rewarded someday with a crown of glory!
For all believers - leaders and non-leaders alike - there is another crown for us when we persevere thru temptation ... "The Crown Of Life" ... see James 1:12
My prayer for each one today is that you will see every opportuniy - be it little or big - as a ministry to our Lord. You may not "feel" rewarded here on earth but God sees; He knows - and He will reward you! Whatever you do - do it as if you are working for HIM! Not for man.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men - Colossians 3:23
Blessings on you today, sweet friends!
"I KNOW whom I have believed!"
Ruthie
Thank you for the prayers and the post! The Crown of Glory drawing is amazing! God has given you many talents and you are using them for His glory! Definitely something for me to meditate on.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed day!
You're such an amazing artist! Thank you for sharing that!
ReplyDeleteI've always struggled with the ideas of "crown" and "reward". Are they literal? Do we get rewards in heaven? Or is it figurative?
I guess I've just never pictured labouring hard because we're getting a reward--or a crown--but that's definitely what's in Scripture. But to me it seems kind of odd. I still think that Jesus is my reward, and His grace is the point. But I do think, when I meditate on "crowns", that it's more than that. Just can't figure it out, and perhaps the not knowing is part of the journey!
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