5 Crowns of the Christian Life: The Crown of Life

The Crown of Life

James 1:12

12 Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. 

Revelation 2:8-11

8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 

9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and [I know] the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but [are] the synagogue of Satan. 

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast [some] of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 

This crown is for those believers who endure trials, tribulations, and severe suffering, even unto death.

Our only purpose in this life is to point others towards Him, in every thing we do, in every season of life we are in, no matter what that may be. I cannot stress how important this is in our lives because you never know what the person beside you is dealing with every single day of their life. The trials, tribulations, and sufferings in one's life are not always in plain sight for all to see. More often than not the trials, tribulations, and sufferings in one's life are behind closed doors. We tend to keep our pain and shame hidden away. But all that does is eat at us like a sickness. It whittles us down until there is nothing left and life just does not feel worth living. So when we live Jesus for all to see, we are leaving behind a testimony, a little picture of the mercy and grace, hope and love that a life with Him brings. It will not be a life free from sorrow but it will be a life full of opportunities to bring your burdens to Him for comfort and relief. 

Did I ever think that losing my children would somehow bring gory and honor to my Savior? No I absolutely didn’t. But I never in a million years dreamed that I would have such a difficult time having and bearing children. Being a Momma had always been my dream. I loved babies, couldn't get enough of them, couldn't wait to get married and start my own family. I can remember each and every time I took a pregnancy test and it turned positive. 5 positives, 5 moments of thrilling joy.  And in each of those moments, I had only hope for a future with the precious baby in my womb. But life is not without sorrow. Yet it is in the midst of our sorrows that we are given the greatest opportunities to turn to our Savior, to leave only glory and honor for our Lord in sorrow's wake, not bitterness and resentment.

I never thought when I was in the midst of my first miscarriage, when I was burying my Lachlan, or when I looked at that ultrasound screen, just over a year ago expecting to see the flutter of a healthy heartbeat and instead saw black emptiness, that I would ever use my life, my loss, to tell others about Christ. 

But here I am and I have learned that earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. And I can only hope and pray that I am doing good in the lives of others, that I am following His will and purpose, that somehow, somewhere in the lines of my blogs that I am pointing others to Jesus. Because if I am not it will be me, that has caused my loss to be for naught, to be in vain. Not Him.

I sometimes think of what it would have been like to have been blessed to be able to have all of my babies here with me on earth. I wonder what their personalities would have been like and whether they would take after me or Brandon. I dream of Christmas mornings and birthday parties. But I know that if I can endure the temptations and the sorrows of this life a little longer, that my Jesus will meet me in the clouds one bright and shinning day, with my babies by His riven side, and the Crown of Life in His nail scarred hands. 

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Well Done My Child

I go winding my way to glory land, the home of the soul.
My life is filled with sorrow where I roam, where'er I roam
But when I enter the gates of gloryland which now is my goal
My Lord will say, "My child you're welcome home."

Well done my child, my Lord will say,
With courage bold you've stood for the right.
A crown of life you've won, "Well done my child."
He'll say that day like Paul of old, you've fought a good fight
"Well done my child, Well done my child, well done."

I'll meet my friends and my loved ones gone before in heaven's fair clime
Inside the gates they'll be to welcome me to welcome me;
Praise God my troubles and cares will then be o'er in glory sublime.
With them I'll live for all eternity, eternity.

Well done my child, my Lord will say,
With courage bold you've stood for the right.
A crown of life you've won, "Well done my child."
He'll say that day like Paul of old, you've fought a good fight
"Well done my child, Well done my child, well done."
I now am waiting and longing for the day when I shall arise,
And sail away across the ocean's foam, the ocean's foam;
I'll be so happy to hear my Savior in sweet paradise,
"Well done my child you now are welcome home, you're welcome home."

Well done my child, my Lord will say,
With courage bold you've stood for the right.
A crown of life you've won, "Well done my child."
He'll say that day like Paul of old, you've fought a good fight
"Well done my child, Well done my child, well done."

5 Crowns of the Christian Life: The Crown of Rejoicing

The Crown of Rejoicing

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

19 For what [is] our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Are] not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? 

20 For ye are our glory and joy. 

This crown is given to those who faithfully and joyfully are witnesses to the saving grace of God and whose lives point men to Jesus.

Today the little boy in this picture turned 4 years old. It is so hard to believe how fast the time has slipped by me. Those itty bitty newborn outfits, no bigger than a baby doll would wear, have been replaced by grass stained blue jeans and dinosaur t-shirts. Baby rattles and pacifiers replaced by Legos and anything that roars.

Tonight as I sang him to sleep and he clutched his brand new toys, my heart was remembering and rejoicing. Remembering the aching emptiness it had once felt and rejoicing at the overwhelming fullness if feels now. 

Oh that day felt like it would never come. Disappointment, sadness and heartbreak had paved the way for worry, sickness, and anxiety. 20 weeks of bedrest, blood pressure medicine, and endless tests, made for a long and difficult pregnancy. A grueling labor, failed epidurals, and a painful c-section all culminated in one of the most glorious moments of my life. Hearing Kieran cry for the first time, knowing that this time I would be leaving the hospital with a baby to raise instead of one to grieve, was a moment that gave clarity to everything I had endured up to that moment and one I'll never forget.

You see in that moment I loved my son with a fierceness that I couldn't quite comprehend. I had loved him while he was in my womb but up until that moment when he cried, he'd really only been a dream, a dream I had been waiting for so long to come true. But there he was and as I held him to my breast to nurse, as I cradled him throughout the night, as I meticulously charted his feedings and diaper changings, I began to understand all that I had endured. I understood that now, having had my dreams turn to nightmares before, that I would love him more deeply and protect him more mightily than I'd ever imagined possible.  He needed me. And I needed Jesus. 

There have been a lot of changes take place in our lives over the last 4 years, and though there have been hard times and sad times, my heart has been rejoicing at what the Lord did for us when Kieran was born. We had been living in sin, we were out of the will of God, and we were headed for disaster. But when I heard Kieran's first cries, the Lord made a change in my heart. If I hadn't been willing to turn back to Christ for myself, I was now responsible for someone else's soul. And in that instant my heart made a vow to my Savior that I would protect him with all I had in me and with all that He could give me. 

It was just after Kieran's first birthday when we attended church for the first time as a family and it was amazing, near miraculous, that change that took place in our lives.

Now instead of living in the past and wallowing in our sin sick lives, we are rejoicing at what is to come. Now instead of focusing on the wickedness that this world has to offer, we are doing our best to point our children towards Jesus in our rejoicing, in our praise, in our love of Him. Now instead of working our way through a 6-pack, we are collecting Crowns by living Christ centered lives full of rejoicing. We are rejoicing in our hearts that the Lord will save Kieran's soul some sweet day just as He has saved ours, we are rejoicing in our hearts that the Lord is coming again for us one happy day, and we are rejoicing in our hearts that one wonderful day our family will be whole again in the presence of our Savior. 

~~~***~~~

We don’t know what the future holds, nor what the purpose of our past is until the Lord uses our story to bring glory and honor to His name. Be joyful in your life, you don’t know who is watching or what testimony you are leaving behind.

5 Crowns of the Christian Life: The Incorruptible Crown

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 

25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they [do it] to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 

This crown is given to believers who faithfully run the race, who crucify every selfish desire in the flesh and point men to Jesus.

Our lives are the race. Each and every day spent barreling towards the finish line, knowing that at the end is Jesus. But how we run the race is just as important as crossing the finish line.

I have struggled with writing this blog for nearly a month. I wanted to begin the new series with the New Year. And I can't quite put my finger on the reason, be it discouragement, priorities out of order, or because my boys were sick for a very long 10 days. I just haven't been able to sit down and put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. I desire your prayers very much. I have been doing my best to balance my school work with our ministry, with being a Momma and wife, with being a faithful church member and a devoted daughter and granddaughter, my Momma and I directed our church Christmas play, I've recently begun leading monthly Women's Meetings for my church, and I've taken on the Easter Cantata, not to mention the baby quilt that I am trying to help embroider for my very first great-nephew. 

I have been trying my very best to run my race the best way that I know how and it has suddenly dawned on me that my best is simply not good enough. I can never do all of this on my own. There are just too many obstacles on this race track that is my life. By doing it all on my own, I've corrupted my crown. 

You see, He never meant for me to do it alone or to try to do it all. He wants my devotion, my faithfulness, my very best, but He wants me to let Him carry me when the terrain is too steep or too rough. 

There is a selfish desire within us to prove to the world that we don't need anyone's help, that we can accomplish whatever we set our minds on simply by willpower, that we are self-made men and women. It is a selfish desire to want the world to look at us and only see our accomplishments, only see the trophies we've won in the many races we've run. It is a selfish desire to do a service for our Lord just to see our name in lights, just to get the glory and recognition for ourselves. We think that the service in itself is enough for God, that our doing good works for Him is all He needs. What we fail to realize is that it's not our service or our works at all that God desires, but our desire to do the work for Him with the glory and honor going all to Him. We should have a servant's heart because it pleases Him, because in a servant's heart others are pointed to Christ, because in a race run by Christians desiring to see God glorified there are no losers, only receivers of Incorruptible Crowns. 

So as we run the race of life, we must be faithful and trusting that our Lord and Savior will be there to lift us over the hurdles, to carry us when we become weak, to catch us when we fall. He is there, the beaming Father in the stands, cheering us on, encouraging us through His Word, the Holy Ghost coaching us, molding us, and He is there with open arms when we reach the finish line, holding in His nail scarred hands this Incorruptible Crown that we've run so hard to receive. 

 These last few weeks, I've neglected my heart, I've neglected my race. But although I may feel like I've sidelined myself, I'm not stuck on the bench. I feel Him in my heart and I know I've got a race to finish, a crown to receive, a Savior to glorify and honor. 

I'm dusting off my running shoes 

~~~***~~~

The neglected heart will soon be a heart overrun with worldly thoughts; the neglected life will soon become moral chaos. -A.W. Tozer

Advent Scripture Series: Week 2

Advent Scripture Series

Week 2

For many, the holidays are not a happy time. They're less a celebration and more a mourning. We may find ourselves weighed down by the could've beens, should've beens, would've beens. Hearts and minds may be hardened to the joy of the season, we may have forgotten what all we have to be thankful for. This is the purpose of Advent, to prepare our hearts for the celebration and the coming of Christ. It is an intentional focus on Christ in the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas. Truly though, each and every day of our lives should be spent in an Advent preparation. We should continually be preparing our hearts for His return. But for those of us who can't seem to find our Christmas spirits, who can't see through the tears of sorrow, or worry, we must remember that to celebrate His coming, we need to remember why He came. To give us life, to resurrect us! He is the Resurrection! The God that rolled the stone away from the tomb, is the same God that can break the cold stone away from our hardened hearts and give life blood to it once again. Though we may feel all hope is lost in whatever situation we are facing, if we believe in Him, though our spirits may feel dead, He will give us life!

In the midst of a holiday season rife with mythical creatures, it would seem that the world does not have difficulty believing in what they cannot see. Santa Claus is touted as the source of the magic of Christmas, elves in Toy Land busily crafting away toys for good boys and girls, and reindeer seem to know how to fly. It is amazing what a little imagination can dream up. But I am thankful this Christmas for a Savior that I know is real. I don't need wildly concocted tales to fuel some fabrication passed down for generations. I have my Divinely Inspired Bible, God's Holy Word, that tells me of my Savior's magnificent birth, His miraculous life, sacrificial death, and extraordinary resurrection. I can feel Him alive and working in my heart and soul, drawing me nigh to Him. I wait with anticipation, not for reindeer hooves on the rooftop, but to meet Him in the clouds in the twinkling of an eye. I am headed North, not for Santa's workshop, but heaven and homeward bound. Do you believe in the true magic of Christmas, Christ born of a virgin, come to save mankind from sin?

Tonight I am thinking of some special Mommas in my life who have borne the pain of losing a child. It is a pain unlike any other I've ever known. Soul shattering, heart breaking, mind numbing, crippling pain of a child taken from us all too soon. Yet in the midst of that pain is a another Momma's Son willing to bear it. A Son foretold of and born of a virgin, magnificent and perfect in every way. He came as a babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. God Himself made flesh. And He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. The Highest of highs is with us in our lowest of lows.

My sweet boys like to sleep with a night light at night. It's a comfort to them, keeps their fears at bay, reminds them they're in their very own big boy beds but not alone because they can see one another in the room they share and lights their path to our bed in the middle of the night. The little light isn't much but it does the job. Wouldn't it be nice if our adult fears were banished with just a little light? Wouldn't it be nice if just a dim light was enough to keeps the stress and worry monsters away? Wouldn't it be nice if a little light gave us a clear path to the comfort we need most? I've heard tale of a light that can do just that. A light that once shown so bright in the sky, that the shepherds and wise men followed it and found their Savior asleep in the hay of a manger in Bethlehem. That same light now resides in me as a child of the King. He came as a baby, was crucified a man. In His death, He gave life and light to men.

Have you ever tried to help someone who didn't want help? When try as you might they reject your help, your advice, your love? It doesn't seem to matter that you came only to help, to save them from themselves, the situation they're in, the world around them, and you want nothing in return but their love. You want only to hear them say "Yes, I need your help. I need your love. I believe in you and what you've done for me." Knowing that if they would just accept you instead of rejecting you, you could give them the power to change their life. Finally, most of us, will at some point give up, tired, weary, and discouraged.

I imagine Christ felt very much like this. Hated from His prophecy, hunted by a murderous king as an infant, despised during His ministry, and finally crucified out of hate and fear. The very people, His people, that He came to save, refused Him, denied Him. And yet, unlike us, in spite of being forsaken, He bore our sorrows and our pain. He shouldered our sins upon the cross. Beaten and bloody, He carried the cross up Calvary's hill, and willingly laid down His life, for all mankind. No exceptions.

As we celebrate His birth this Christmas season, let us remember the glory of His life, and the magnitude of love in His death.

A friend of mine just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, another friend just had a beautiful baby boy. And I love babies. I love everything about them. From the time I was just a little girl, I have been baby crazy. My niece is due at the end of May and I am so excited I can't hardly stand it. But thinking of her baby boy on the way and her becoming a mother for the very first time, reminds me of the first time I held my own boys. 

During my pregnancies, I had read everything I could get my hands on about what was going on inside my body, how my babies were growing, what to expect during labor...I felt prepared, I was ready, my body was made to do this. And then the baby was born and I realized that I hadn't read a single thing on what to do after he was born. Suddenly I was panicked. No one told me that breastfeeding was hard. No one told me that he would cluster feed for hours on end during the night. No one told me that the baby blues would play hard and fast with my emotions. I was a wreck. And yet, when I held my newborn son in my arms, when I quieted his cries with my touch and my voice, when I nourished him at my breast, there was nothing more perfect in my world. It's amazing what one tiny baby and the grace of God can do.

I don't know Mary's state of emotions that night in Bethlehem, after a long and tiresome journey, 9 months pregnant, laboring in a stable, surrounded by animals, but I imagine they were like any other first time Momma's. Excited, scared, overjoyed, overwhelmed, determined and discouraged. But with the birth of her Son, God's Son, came the very truth and grace she would need to be His Momma. That night, in a dirty stable, under imperfect conditions, God gave her His Perfect and Only Begotten Son, One who with His fullness would give me grace some 2,000 years later.

So often I hear a common misconception about Jesus and Christians. "Kendra found Jesus." "Brandon found Jesus." "Ole Kendra found Jesus and she don't come round here no more." (Yes, the grammar is on purpose. Just imagine my Southern twang and you'll understand).

Friends, I have some truth to impart. I didn't find Jesus. Brandon didn't find Jesus. I don't frequent the establishments I once did because I found Jesus. HE FOUND ME. 

For the Son of man came to SEEK and to SAVE that which was LOST. He came for no other reason than to seek out the sinners and to save them! Just as the Shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to seek and to save that one lamb that is lost, so my Savior did for me! He found me in a Sunday School room 23 years ago, crying because I knew I didn't want to be bad anymore and He moved right into my heart. And a dozen years later, when I strayed from the straight and narrow and I could not find my way back to Him on my own, He came again to find me. 

This Christmas season He is seeking you out. He has come to save you. Let Him find you, let Him save you, let Him dwell within you.