The five crowns (4)

The fourth crown is the crown of life. Two different verses depict it for us. “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12 NKJV). “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” A pastor explained it this way: “The Crown of Life is given in recognition of enduring and triumphing over temptations and trials, even to the point of martyrdom. Motivated by our love for Christ, we persevere and never quit until He takes us home…Almost every New Testament book was written to believers who lived in danger of martyrdom. The apostles counselled them to persevere so they could inherit the crown of life.” Today we are living in one of the most intense periods of persecution in the history of the church. Open Doors, an organization that monitors persecution, reports on the top 50 nations where Christians face the most severe persecution. In 2017, they said trends are getting worse every year, and that “100 percent of Christians in 21 countries around the world experience persecution for their faith in Christ, and more than 215 million Christians face ‘high levels’ of persecution. Nearly one in every 12 Christians today lives in an area or culture in which Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished.” The Bible says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV). But the good news is that it gives each of us a marvellous opportunity to lay claim to the crown of life.