A Glorious Crown
It's that time of year once again. Tonight we will hear those famous words that we have heard since we were little girls. . . . "There she is, Miss America." We will watch as a lovely young woman's dream comes true. They will place a crown upon her head, give her a cascade of beautiful flowers. They will give her a crystal scepter to hold and she will take center stage. She will take her walk down the isle and as she takes everything in, she will realize that she is the girl who will represent America for this next year.
Okay, Journey Girls admit it, at some time or another you have dreamed of wearing a crown. We all dream of being a princess. We grow up with fairytales such as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. We imagine what it would be like to be the fairest of them all, a beautiful princess, or even Miss America.
I have always enjoyed watching the Miss America pageant. I remember watching as a little girl and wondering what it was like to wear that crown. My Mom, my sister and I, have always had "Miss America parties," and enjoyed watching the pageant together. I had the privilege of watching my little sister compete in the Miss Tennessee and Miss Colorado pageants. I remember when she won her first local pageant that led to her competing at Miss Tennessee. It was so exciting to watch as she was crowned! She was beautiful and I was so proud!! I must confess, I got to try on and wear her beautiful crown. I danced around the room with that beautiful crown on my head. It was so much fun! Thank you Hannah, for sharing.
The word crown is referred to many times in God's Word. The Old Testament uses different words that we translate as "crown." The crown worn by the Hebrew Queen Esther was a kether, which is a high cap or tiara. This word refers to ornaments worn at marriages, feasts and festivals. However, most of the Old Testament references to crowns come from the Hebrew word atarah, which means "to encircle," as an army would encircle a city. These were worn by kings from many nations. This word is used in the book of Proverbs to describe crowns available to godly men and women.
Beloved, we too can wear many crowns in life, as daughters of the Most High. I love the book Heavenly Crowns, by Heather Whitestone McCallum. She is a former Miss America who loves Jesus. She writes of many crowns that God has in store for those who love and follow Him.
One of the crowns we can wear is a garland of grace. Proverbs 4:9 says, "She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of slendor." King Solomon was sharing something valuable here. We too, can have wisdom as a garland of grace on our heads. We must seek wisdom from the Lord and His Word. We can also seek wisdom through godly counsel. Ask the Lord for wisdom to understand His Word better.
Another crown that we can wear is a crown of blessing. Proverbs 10:6a says, "Blessings crown the head of the righteous. ." In other words, if we want our lives to be crowned with blessings we must choose to live a righteous life. We can do this by living by the Word of God. We choose to be obediant to Christ and follow His example. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) and live by His Spirit.
We can also be blessed with a crown of splendor. Proverbs 16:31 tells us that "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." Now, whether you choose to let your crown of splendor show or not is up to you! I prefer a blonde crown of splendor! (Just making sure you are still remembering to laugh.) All kidding aside, I do value those who have gone before us. Those who have paved the way for us. Those who have given us a heritage of faith. I love our senior saints. They have so much strength, wisdom and beauty. I am very thankful for my Grandmothers who both have lived their lives for Jesus Christ! They are beautiful women of God and they behold beautiful crowns of splendor upon their heads.
Did you know that if you are married, you have the opportunity to be a crown? Provers 12:4 says, "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones." Are you encouraging your husband? Is your character one that reflects Christ? Proverbs 31 tells us more about being a wife of noble character. (We will go there on another day.)
If you are not married, pray for your future mate. Pray for God to keep you both pure. Pray for God to be preparing your hearts for Him and for each other. Maybe you are single, divorced or widowed; you too can wear crowns of blessings. Christ crowns each of us with forgiveness of our sins, mercy and wonderful grace. One of the crowns we can wear is the crown of salvation. "For the LORD takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation." (Psalm 149:4) Praise God for our salvation that He bestows upon us! We are blessed by a Father who sent His One and Only Son to wear a crown of thorns on our behalf. To die for our sins, so that we might have life! Thank you LORD!
Thankfully, we do not have to stand before a panel of judges like in a pageant, but we will stand before the Judge one day. He will be the One to present the crown of righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:8 says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing."
1 Thessalonians 2:19 says, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes?" Can you even imagine that glorious day? Dream with me for a moment. . . . in a twinkling of an eye, the heavens will part and we will stand on the stage of a lifetime. We will see our LORD face to face! "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4) "Blessed is the man who persevers under trial, 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). Just imagine, we will receive our crown from our Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
One thing that I know for sure, when we look upon our Savior's face with tears flowing down our faces, we will fall to our knees and give Him all glory, honor and praise! We will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus because He alone is worthy! I want to leave you with of my favorite worship songs that the Wildwood Women's Praise Team used to sing, that spoke to me so sweetly. Just imagine what a precious moment that will be.
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
We serve an awesome, holy God! He alone is worthy to be crowned with praise, yet He crowns us! He "who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." (Psalm 103:4) Spend some time thanking God for His wonderful blessings and crowns. Journey Girl, take center stage and receive your crown! Represent Jesus Christ and reflect His Glory for the rest of your days!
Wearing my Crown for His Glory,
Elisabeth
Okay, Journey Girls admit it, at some time or another you have dreamed of wearing a crown. We all dream of being a princess. We grow up with fairytales such as Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. We imagine what it would be like to be the fairest of them all, a beautiful princess, or even Miss America.
I have always enjoyed watching the Miss America pageant. I remember watching as a little girl and wondering what it was like to wear that crown. My Mom, my sister and I, have always had "Miss America parties," and enjoyed watching the pageant together. I had the privilege of watching my little sister compete in the Miss Tennessee and Miss Colorado pageants. I remember when she won her first local pageant that led to her competing at Miss Tennessee. It was so exciting to watch as she was crowned! She was beautiful and I was so proud!! I must confess, I got to try on and wear her beautiful crown. I danced around the room with that beautiful crown on my head. It was so much fun! Thank you Hannah, for sharing.
The word crown is referred to many times in God's Word. The Old Testament uses different words that we translate as "crown." The crown worn by the Hebrew Queen Esther was a kether, which is a high cap or tiara. This word refers to ornaments worn at marriages, feasts and festivals. However, most of the Old Testament references to crowns come from the Hebrew word atarah, which means "to encircle," as an army would encircle a city. These were worn by kings from many nations. This word is used in the book of Proverbs to describe crowns available to godly men and women.
Beloved, we too can wear many crowns in life, as daughters of the Most High. I love the book Heavenly Crowns, by Heather Whitestone McCallum. She is a former Miss America who loves Jesus. She writes of many crowns that God has in store for those who love and follow Him.
One of the crowns we can wear is a garland of grace. Proverbs 4:9 says, "She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of slendor." King Solomon was sharing something valuable here. We too, can have wisdom as a garland of grace on our heads. We must seek wisdom from the Lord and His Word. We can also seek wisdom through godly counsel. Ask the Lord for wisdom to understand His Word better.
Another crown that we can wear is a crown of blessing. Proverbs 10:6a says, "Blessings crown the head of the righteous. ." In other words, if we want our lives to be crowned with blessings we must choose to live a righteous life. We can do this by living by the Word of God. We choose to be obediant to Christ and follow His example. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, (Hebrews 12:2) and live by His Spirit.
We can also be blessed with a crown of splendor. Proverbs 16:31 tells us that "Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life." Now, whether you choose to let your crown of splendor show or not is up to you! I prefer a blonde crown of splendor! (Just making sure you are still remembering to laugh.) All kidding aside, I do value those who have gone before us. Those who have paved the way for us. Those who have given us a heritage of faith. I love our senior saints. They have so much strength, wisdom and beauty. I am very thankful for my Grandmothers who both have lived their lives for Jesus Christ! They are beautiful women of God and they behold beautiful crowns of splendor upon their heads.
Did you know that if you are married, you have the opportunity to be a crown? Provers 12:4 says, "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones." Are you encouraging your husband? Is your character one that reflects Christ? Proverbs 31 tells us more about being a wife of noble character. (We will go there on another day.)
If you are not married, pray for your future mate. Pray for God to keep you both pure. Pray for God to be preparing your hearts for Him and for each other. Maybe you are single, divorced or widowed; you too can wear crowns of blessings. Christ crowns each of us with forgiveness of our sins, mercy and wonderful grace. One of the crowns we can wear is the crown of salvation. "For the LORD takes delight in His people; he crowns the humble with salvation." (Psalm 149:4) Praise God for our salvation that He bestows upon us! We are blessed by a Father who sent His One and Only Son to wear a crown of thorns on our behalf. To die for our sins, so that we might have life! Thank you LORD!
Thankfully, we do not have to stand before a panel of judges like in a pageant, but we will stand before the Judge one day. He will be the One to present the crown of righteousness. 2 Timothy 4:8 says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing."
1 Thessalonians 2:19 says, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes?" Can you even imagine that glorious day? Dream with me for a moment. . . . in a twinkling of an eye, the heavens will part and we will stand on the stage of a lifetime. We will see our LORD face to face! "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away." (1 Peter 5:4) "Blessed is the man who persevers under trial, 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). Just imagine, we will receive our crown from our Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
One thing that I know for sure, when we look upon our Savior's face with tears flowing down our faces, we will fall to our knees and give Him all glory, honor and praise! We will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus because He alone is worthy! I want to leave you with of my favorite worship songs that the Wildwood Women's Praise Team used to sing, that spoke to me so sweetly. Just imagine what a precious moment that will be.
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
We serve an awesome, holy God! He alone is worthy to be crowned with praise, yet He crowns us! He "who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion." (Psalm 103:4) Spend some time thanking God for His wonderful blessings and crowns. Journey Girl, take center stage and receive your crown! Represent Jesus Christ and reflect His Glory for the rest of your days!
Wearing my Crown for His Glory,
Elisabeth
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