Persevere – Earn Your Crown (James 1: 12)
Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
In the Middle of the Chaos…
This is a unique season of life that we find ourselves in, isn’t it? COVID-19, panic-buying, toilet paper shortages, quaratines, homeschooling by necessity, and more…
And some were already enduring trials like serious illness or injury, job loss, family divisions and disagreements, and so on. And so more chaos is dumped in the middle of the problems and disappointments already threatening to overwhelm us.
Blessed is the one who endures trials
In the middle of all this chaos, in the midst of the trials, it doesn’t always feel like we are blessed. This is one of those times when we have to believe what God says in His word even when we don’t feel it. The Word of God says that we are blessed when we endure trials.
In order to endure, we have to persevere.
Webster’s Dictionary defines Persevere as: “to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counter-influences, opposition, or discouragement”
To persist in spite of opposition or discouragement. Without the trials and opposition, there is need to persevere. There is no reward because there is no endurance in the face of trials.
Stood the Test
“When he has stood the test…” During the testing and trials, sometimes it feels like we can’t even stand up anymore. We can’t stand firm – we can’t stand at all. It feels like our legs are about to turn to jelly and melt right underneath us.
But if we can hang in there. If we can hold on to God and allow Him to help us continue to stand, we win.
Stand firm, and you will win life. Luke 21:19
What do we win?
There is actually a prize for enduring the trials of life. When everything seems wrong and all messed up, that is when it is time to earn your crown.
God has made a promise to those that love Him — that’s me and you, right?! He has promised us a crown of life if we don’t give up halfway through the trials. These difficulties, oppositions, set-backs, and seemingly insurmountable problems in our lives – Satan intends them to derail us from following God. He expects that we will decide that it is too hard, and give up.
Who are you?
But God, He sees us as royalty. He sees us as His children. The kids of the One True King. He has a crown of life for us when we live like the royalty we are. As royalty, we have authority. We have a support system that is out of this world – literally!
Will we believe God or the Devil? Who will we believe that we are? Conquerors and overcomers – or people who give up when we encounter trouble?
Earn Your Crown – One Day at a Time
This can seem way too overwhelming if we look long into the future. One day at a time. One hour at a time. One minute at a time. Focus on the amount of time that you can see victory in. Win each minute and pretty soon you have an hour. Win each hour and you win the day. Win the days and they turn into weeks and then months and then years.
You earn your crown one moment at a time. Moment building on moment on moment until you win a crown of life.
Action Step:
If you are having difficulty believing that with God’s help, you can overcome the trials in your life, it is time to build some reminders into your daily life that help you start to believe in your status as royalty.
Many of us are self-quarantined, so we have a perfect situation in which to retrain our brains to align with God’s Word. Here are some ideas for ways to remind ourselves:
-Tape a note card with scripture to your bathroom mirror
-Use a refrigerator magnet to place a reminder in full view in the kitchen
-Record a reminder on your phone and set it as the ringtone
-Set your Google Assistant/Home to remember key biblical truths about your identity and remind you often
Do you have any ideas? I’d love to hear about them in the comments or on the Devotion in Action Facebook Group!
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you that you don’t see us as insignificant failures, though sometimes we see ourselves that way. We are royalty in the Your family and overcomers through Your Word. Thank you for being a rewarded of endurance and perseverance. In Jesus’ name, amen.