To the suffering saints in Smyrna, the Lord promised the crown of life, if they were faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). This means they would receive this crown when the Lord returns and the next age begins.

James, however, in his epistle speaks of the same crown in a different way:

Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which He has promised to those who love Him.
— James 1:12

So, here the crown of life is won, not in the next age, but in this age, when we have been approved after enduring a trial. (See “Winning the Crown of Life • 1.”)

Moreover, when James speaks of who this crown is for, he does not say it is for those who are “faithful unto death,” as in Smyrna; rather, here it is for those who love the Lord.

Why does James add such a comment? Because he knows that only as we truly love the Lord can we can be faithful to Him in our trials, and so win the crown of life.

In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, the Lord speaks of the seed sown on the rocky places, which soon sprang up, but then withered away (vv. 5-6). Later He told the disciples who this signifies among His followers:

And that sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word and right away receives it with joy, but he does not have root in himself, and endures only for a while; for when tribulation or persecution rise up because of the word, very soon he is offended.
— Matthew 13:20-21

It is one thing to begin to love the Lord; it is a very different matter to love Him to the point we are faithful to Him even as we pass through our trials, so that we are not offended, or stumbled, by them. As the hymn, “Many Crowd the Savior’s Kingdom,” says,

Many sit at Jesus’ table;
Few will fast with Him,
When the sorrow-cup of anguish
Trembles to the brim.
Few watch with Him in the garden,
Who have sung the hymn;
Few watch with Him in the garden,
Who have sung the hymn.

The Christian life is the most wonderful, most meaningful, most fulfilling life we could ever live; what a privilege it is to be called to follow Christ! But, it is not at all an easy life, and so as those who love the Lord and seek to follow Him, we need to arm ourselves with a mind to suffer, as Peter warns us (1 Peter 4:1); then we will be prepared for the trials that lie ahead. And after we have endured, because we love the Lord, we shall indeed win the crown of life, whether in this age or the next.

Praise Him!

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—  28 September 2024 —