Wear the Crown!

By Rick Blumenberg / @rickblumenberg

When we talk about “Wearing the Crown” the reference is usually to royalty. Crowns by nature are ostentatious. We very seldom see a humble crown. But the crowns God chooses for his people are ones that look good on everyone and are never out of place. They have no commercial worth but their value for character development is awesome!

Scripture has a lot to say about crowns. Proverbs 4:9 says to seek wisdom and she will give a crown of splen­dor. Proverbs12:4 notes noble character as being a husband's crown. Isaiah 35 writes of a “way of holiness” on which “only the re­deemed shall walk”. “They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads.” It seems all Bible crowns are crowns of Blessing!

Tanner Creek near our home.

But I’m thinking particularly of the crown in Psalm 103 where we’re told God crowns us with “loving-kindness and compassion.” And this crown is not limited to a few select saints. Loving-kindness is a Divine crown or character trait God wants to share with everyone. And this crown looks good even if everyone is wearing it.

As Christians we have a choice whether or not to wear it. God gives it to us but he doesn't staple it to our heads. However, the privilege of free-will is a weighty liberty. We can choose to reject the privilege, but after making that choice, we cannot choose the consequences. But if we choose not to wear the crown we cannot be Christ-like. Why forsake such a privilege for any reason?

If we choose, we can wear this crown of loving-kindness and compassion selectively. Wear it only for those we love (when we are not angry with them). Wear it for those we like (when they behave as we like). Wear it only for those who deserve it (when they deserve it). But if it’s the real thing we don’t make those distinctions.

If we aren't careful others can take our crowns. An example might be rude drivers. It’s better to forgive them! It’s not worth losing your crown even for a little while.

Whether or not we wear the Crown should never be an option. I don't mean God shouldn't give us the option, but it is an option we should never choose!

When you go into battle with Satan don't forget your Crown! There is an old song that says "When the battle's over we shall wear a crown". I agree, but maybe we should write a new song that sings "While the battle's raging we shall wear the crown" because the Crown of loving-kindness and compassion is an offensive weapon (and I don't mean using the sharp points to ram somebody). When we do battle with Satan we should not use the weapons of this world. Weapons like bitterness, hatred, envy, and so forth, destroy people! God's weapons, on the other hand (weapons like loving-kindness, compassion) heal people. When we do battle with Satan the goal must be to save people (bring spiritual healing) not to destroy them. We work with Christ to destroy the people-destructive “works” of Satan—not the people Satan is trying to destroy.

And finally, the crown that God gives us is an eternal crown. I Corinthians 9:25 tells us it is "a crown that will last forever."

God gives the crown.....Don't forget to wear it! When you go to work in the morning don't forget your crown! When you discipline your children, don't forget your crown! When you disagree with your spouse, or boss or neigh­bor...don't forget your crown!

When you wear the crown of King Jesus (the crown of loving-kindness and compassion) it blesses God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), it blesses all around whom you wear it, but it probably blesses you more than anyone else. Wear the Crown!

I'm Rick Blumenberg and that's My View from Tanner Creek.