Crown Me
By Vernette Kureck
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - - and not only me, but also
to all who have longed for his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:8
(NIV)
In my mind, I was walking the beach
collecting seashells. In reality, I was sitting in the dentist chair having a
molar ground down for a crown fitting. The tooth was cracked and had quite a
few fillings, so the crown will make my tooth feel, look and function better. My
seashell bag was full, so my thoughts drifted to different types of crowns and
what they signify.
First, I thought of the game
checkers. Once you reach the other side, you get crowned and can move in any
direction. According the verse above, as believers reach “the other side” known
as heaven, Christ will give a crown to all those who have walked with Him and have
longed for His return. This is not just any old crown, but a Righteous crown. It
demonstrates royalty and blamelessness. As children of the King and Judge, we
will experience true freedom.
Next, I thought of my granddaughters
and their love of playing princess. Even at their young age, they get that the
function of royalty has certain privileges and responsibilities. Not only do
you look and feel good, but your decrees and judgments are to be fair and
honorable. 1 Corinthians 6:3
states that as believers, we will judge the angels. For the Final Judgment,
people of God will be reigning with Christ and judging.
Yes, playing checkers or princess is
only a prelude to the work that will be done in heaven. Crowns can weigh
heavily on royalty. Perhaps that is why “the twenty-four elders fall down
before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and
ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Worthy are you our
Lord and God, to receive honor and glory and power, for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created’” (Revelation 4:10-11,
NIV).
The prep work was all done and I was
wearing my temporary crown. I was ready to leave. “Come back in two weeks and
we’ll put on the permanent crown,” the dentist said. I smiled and said, “I’m
looking forward to it more than you’ll ever know.”
GOING
DEEPER:
2. Are you
ready to lay your crown down before the throne?
FURTHER
READING:
Vernette and
her husband Ken have been married 46 years. Their two married sons have blessed
them with eight grandchildren.
