Cast Your Crowns

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.” (1 Peter 5:2-4)

Persevere under trial. Shepherd the flock—willingly. Be eager to serve. Be an example.

Brothers and sisters, these crowns aren’t going to be just handed to us. There is a list—a larger one than that listed above—of steps we must take, actions we must perform, and work that must be done to earn them.

And that work? It starts with us.

We are temples, built to worship God. Temples where people go to meet God. But God’s work can’t be done in a dirty temple, tables all flipped. We’re gonna have to mop our floors. We’re gonna have to declutter and organize and then . . . we’re gonna have to protect our temples from future disorder. We’re gonna have to work to put a barrier around our temples, and if we don’t do that, if we leave our temples unprotected, that's when the enemy finds his way in.

So how can one construct this barrier to protect their temple?

Resist temptation. Temptation comes from none other than the dirty old devil. You see, God doesn’t tempt, nor can He be tempted. But the enemy taints our minds, our hearts, filling them with evil desires—desires which give birth to sin which in turn leads to spiritual death. (James 1:13-15)

Don’t be deceived. (James 1:16) Proverbs 4:23 urges us to guard our hearts, for everything we do flows from them.

Guard your heart to guard your temple.

How do we do that?

Philippians 4:6-7 instructs us to bring everything and anything weighing on our hearts to God, who will then bring us peace through Christ Jesus to guard our hearts and minds.

You see, guarding our minds is essential too. 2 Corinthians 10:5 tells us we must take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. Every thought.

Psalm 119:11 urges us to take God’s Word—that is the Holy Bible—and hide it in our hearts to protect us from sin.

So how is it that we guard our temples?

Friends, to put it simply, it’s a conversation. By remaining in prayer, we gain an audience with the King on His throne. In my head, I imagine it like that scene in Disney’s Hercules, when, as an adolescent, Hercules stands in the temple of Zeus looking on his father. Every time I bow my head, I’m in a heavenly throne room, knelt at my Lord's feet, and He looks on me lovingly from where He’s seated.

And when we open His book, there He answers us. Again, a picture in my head, this time of the two of us seated across from one another at a table, coffee cups before us.

Because when we pray, we seek Him out. And when we read His Word, He meets us where we're at.

It’s up to us, then, to take this conversation further, both literally and figuratively.

Take it to the pasture. That’s where we edify and where we’re edified, often without realizing that we needed to be.

These conversations with God equip us for the conversations we are to have on the front lines, building up builders who build temples of worship and barriers to protect them. Building builders who build more builders.

Friends, it cannot be overstated. It is so important to remain in constant conversation with the Lord. (1 Chronicles 16:11, Psalm 105:4, Proverbs 3:6, Jeremiah 33:3, Luke 18:1, John 15:4, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, James 4:8)

You see, the enemy already knows he’s lost. What he’s banking on is that you don’t know that.

James 1:22 says be a doer of the word, not just a hearer, for when don’t do, we deceive ourselves . . . and allow ourselves to be deceived. And deceived people deceive people. That's when temples crumble.

I’ve been blogging Sunday sermons for a few months now, but this particular sermon series has gone on far longer. As I wrap this up, I’m going to share a condensed recap of the last six months written by Pastor Doug Wede:

“Sermons teach us how to understand and learn the oracles, commandments, and knowledge that God has offered us, such as how the old law of God allowed for Him to abide with us conditionally, but the new LAW of God gives us unrestricted Communion with Him because of His unconditional Love for us!

The perceived Judgement of God is lifted through our Repentance through Christ because the Lamb of God, Jesus, shed His perfect Blood for all mankind, establishing the new covenant that brings freedom from sin.

This Gospel is entrusted to us as Jesus's followers to teach, show, and live the Trust in God that we have; to show how we, as Christians, have been Sanctified, SET APART to live FREE. We are free because of the Propitiation—that is the replacement of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross as the perfect atonement of sin. It is because of that sacrifice that we know God hears our prayers, honors our Fasting, and recognizes our seeking Him.

Jesus's sacrifice was for everyone—men and Women, young and old—giving all equal access to God by breaking down the barriers of the old laws. Through Christ, this makes us ALL holy, ALL sanctified, and ALL individual Temples with a universal responsibility: we are to Shepherd all. We learned from the Great Shepherd that, since He has gone away for a while, we are called to lead ALL.

We lead well when we Edify – when we build up His Church, growing real, not fake, shallow, or meaningless relationships with others. This is our spiritual service of Worship to God. By edifying the people He created, we worship Christ’s bride which is the Church. This takes service; a daily decision to Work for the Lord in everything He places before us to grow His church.”

It’s time to get to work, Church. It’s time to earn our crowns, so when the time comes, we can cast them at His feet.

He’s worthy of it all.