The Victor's Crown

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things: Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, be we for an imperishable crown.” 1 Cor. 9:24-25

I grew up hearing the certain reward for those who rejected Christ. It’s not good. But what of those who believe in Christ, who live the principles of scripture, who live and walk in the Spirit, and who produce… goodness. A goodness not coming from themselves, of course, but through the working of God’s Spirit in their lives.

Paul knew this and so he strove for the imperishable crown, the victor’s crown. A crown given to overcomers, those who “overcome him by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:11). “As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36).

As a Believer we go through a lot. Sometimes we find ourselves in crises and problems that others don’t have. Other’s it seems have a life that is smooth sailing while we struggle. We fight against the motions of our own flesh (our sin nature), we struggle against the negative influence of the world, and we fight against the tricks of Satan. On every hand we are tested, tried, rebuked, excluded and harassed.

Yet, we endure, we fight, we struggle because we’ve fallen in love with Jesus Christ. Our ultimate desire is to see him, be with him, and glorify his name by overcoming, by trusting, by believing, and thereby earning our crown of victory. A crown we desire, that we long for, a crown like our Heavenly Father’s, a crown we can one day lay down at our Savior’s nail scarred feet and worship. (Rev. 4:10)