“And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who
eagerly look forward to his appearing.” 2TIM.4:8 NLT.
The sixth characteristic of those who look forward to the return of our Lord Jesus Christ
and therefore candidates of the crown of righteousness is that they are not in spiritual
slumber. “Do this, knowing that this is a critical time. It is already the hour for you to
awaken from your sleep [of spiritual complacency]; for our salvation is nearer to us now
than when we first believed [in Christ].” Rom.13:11 (AMP). Those that are in spiritual
slumber are complacent with their spiritual lives. They are not spiritually sensitive.
When you wake up from spiritual slumber, you make deliberate effort to grow spiritually.
You get engaged in serving the Lord because you know that you are saved to bear fruit
that will remain. “For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art],
created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be
used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He
set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made
ready for us].” Eph.2:10 (AMP). If we look closely at the scripture a few important truths
come to light. As a born-again believer you were created for good works (render needed
help to those in need whether they know that they have the need or not) this help may
be spiritual like delivering the message of salvation, helping others understand who they
are in Christ, what they have in Christ and what they can do through the power of God
that is available to them. This kind of help can be rendered through preaching and
teaching the word of God, helping people come to where they can hear the word of God
that can help them, facilitating the delivery of the message of the gospel through
financial donations, prayers, publicity and other logistics. Good works can also be
financial, material or emotional support. The second truth revealed in this scripture is
just as there are many aspects of good works and many paths through which good
works can be delivered God has prearrange your own path for you. He has graced you to
walk in that path He has set for you so that the good work He has prepared for you to do
can be delivered.
When the Lord comes back, He will require account from you of how well you have
followed that path He has set for you. He will not be interested on how you followed the
path you set for yourself or people, family or society set for you or how well you copied
other people’s path. Those that look forward for His coming seek to find the path He
has set for them and devote themselves to following and fulfilling it so that when The
Lord returns, they will receive praise and honour from Him.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials
for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire
tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when
your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and
honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” 1Peter 1:6-7 NLT