Our crowns are not our own
This weekend I painted Emma Faye’s bathroom… my first painting experiment. I have found that I am now sort of addicted to the activity. I think I’m going to tackle my kitchen. I think I love it so much because it’s like an instant satisfaction in your work. I mean, you can see your accomplishment immediately. I kept stepping back and looking at it….yes, I was feeling a sense of pride. God takes these random moments to teach me things about His word. I was looking at my work and suddenly a verse came to my mind…..
“the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Revelation 4:10-11
Really the entire 4th chapter of Revelation is filled with wonderful little nuggets like these verses.. .but this particular one was on my heart….. the whole visual of us laying down our crowns before His throne. All of our accomplishments… all of our victories… all of those things God used as tools to show His glory to others… we will carry those things to heaven ….. but only long enough to give them back to Jesus.
I think of all of the “acts of service” I have done for people and had a sense of pride for that…. that’s not MY work… and I realized….anything that causes me to show grace to someone… anything that causes me to serve someone….to offer up prayer for someone… to share Christ with someone… anything that causes me to do that… that’s NOTHING from me…it is ALL from Christ IN me. Anything that we say or do that somehow speaks the truths of Christ to someone’s heart is not something of ourselves. It is something of the supernatural… the mysterious work of Christ in and through us.
This thought makes me feel ’freed’, yet ashamed. Freed in the sense that God’s power is great. He is sovereign… His word will never return void. The pressure to say the right things “perfectly” is impossible….but God will use my words when needed to minister to someone. Still, I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed of all of the times I took the credit. I was somehow deep down, though I’d never admit… though at times I didn’t even realize….that I was somehow a part of that experience….somehow wisdom was from ME….the compassion was from ME….when the only “part” we play in our being used of God is our willing obedience to him to be used. Although, I’m instantly reminded of the story of Jonah… I mean he willingly disobeyed God and God still brought his heart back to obedience. God is God—He fulfills His promises….He NEVER changes His mind. Praise the Lord that He is always at work in and around our lives. Praise the Lord that He chooses to include us in these wonderful experiences…these opportunities to witness His glory! We are his children….He has plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11)…. He has prepared work for us beforehand to bring Him glory and honor(Eph 2:11)….Be prepared my friends for God to use you. Are you prepared? He says He is working in your lives… He says we are to serve Him….all of these things are going to happen…they are ALREADY happening! It is my desire for all of us to pray today for a heart of willing obedience…. a heart that longs to fulfill the desires of our King… our Lord and Savior… one that rejoices over Him….one that sees His glory manifested on this earth… and one that will even willingly walk into the fiery furnace all the while saying “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But EVEN IF HE DOES NOT, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
Be encouraged today with eyes wide open for Christ to use you. He will… you may not even be aware… and my sweet friend THOSE are the crowns you will wear…. those only seen by our precious Savior….those you will present to Him who sits on the throne and lay at His feet. Oh praise the Lord! He is worthy……
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.
(Revelation 4:8)
