Crown of Life
Crown of Life. It is not God who tempts us, but rather our own sin that leads us away from Christ. The end of that sin is death.
12 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. 13 Let
no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. 14 But each one is
tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is
full-grown, brings forth death.
16
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. 18 Of His own will
He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
James 1:12-18, NKJV
Crown of Life
It
is not God who tempts us, but rather our own sin that leads us away
from Christ. The end of that sin is death. How, then, do we endure
temptation? Our only hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do
not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom
there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Every good
gift is from God! How can that be true? When we look around us we see
people performing good deeds every day. If they are not Christians, how
is that of God? The answer lies in the heart of mankind. What is the
root of that kindness? Are we kind because we truly love God and desire
for His name to be glorified, or are we kind because others will think
well of us.
The amazing thing is that God does
use our selfish deeds to do His will and bring good things to others.
As long as time endures, this world will not be cast into total
darkness; sin, therefore, will always be tempered with good, and that good can only come from God.
God saved a people for Himself of His own will; His purpose is that His people would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.
In other words, God's children are left on this earth to be a living
Word before the people of the world. All of this happens as the result
of Christians, through the power of Christ, enduring temptation and
serving God faithfully. And, for this they will receive a crown of life.
Praise God!
Life or Death! In the end that is the choice that every person must make. However, none of us have the power in and of ourselves to choose life. We will always choose death. How, then, can any be saved. God in His wondrous grace, reaches down to this earth and opens our eyes. Seeing Him, and seeing the truth we choose Him. This is not just a simple one-time choice, but, rather, a total change from the very depths of our hearts. Once we served the pleasures of this world. Now we serve Christ, alone.
Pray today that you will live this day as a faithful testimony to God's saving grace in your life. May you choose life!
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