Crown Of Righteousness
There will be a reward given to you by the Lord God after you faithfully do what He calls you to do.
“These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan...And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh to be their possession. Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan...Joshua gave their lands as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions. the king of Tirzah one thirty-one kings in all.”
Joshua 12:1, 6-7, 24
The fights were not easy nor were the opponents not scary. The Israelites had faced giants and fought battles. It is remarkable how much conflict each person will ultimately face in their lifetime. Going into a battle it can be hard to think about the blessing that is on the other side, but make no mistake, there is a blessing that comes from faithfully serving God. In this chapter, Joshua hands out the inheritance that came as a blessing after the battle. How could keeping your eyes on the prize you will receive help you overcome a pressure you face today?
One of the greatest battles you will face is what is true and what is a lie. The enemy loves to tell us lies. Jesus said Satan is the father of lies and speaks in his native tongue. One of the most important ways in which we must grow is in learning to discern what words the enemy speaks to us from the voice of truth. The enemy wants you to think you will lose every battle and that God does not care about what you are going through. Satan wants you to question your identity and your inheritance. God wants you to stand firm and know that He is with you and for you. Which voice will you listen to today? Which voice helps lead you to your rightful inheritance?
“Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding. Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me— those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them— the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough— But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself. Do not be overawed when others grow rich, when the splendor of their houses increases; for they will take nothing with them when they die, their splendor will not descend with them. People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.”
Psalms 49:1-3, 5-8, 15-17, 20
In a beautiful connection to Joshua, David walks through the road of the true and false. Look at David's language. He says hear and listen. He says the message is for everyone whether they are rich or poor. The enemy wants you to think that your circumstances reflect how God cares for you. David says one of the greatest challenges you will face is seeing the wicked or the wealthy who do wrong prosper. David's song is meant to help us shift our perspective to help us see that what they gain does not last so that we keep our eyes on the heavenly prize to come no matter what we are going through.
Wisdom tells you that every day you are held in the hands of your Creator. The enemy wants you to think that you are too far gone or not worthy of salvation. The Father says you are mine and I will redeem your life by the blood of my Son. Whose voice will help you walk in freedom?
“I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him. Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves...Look on King Solomon wearing a crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced.”
Song of Songs 3:1-2, 4-5, 7-8, 10-11
There is a process of seeking and finding that encompasses the life of faith. We only get one life and for each of us the process of discovering who we are and who God is will require discovery. In this text, she seeks and she finds the one she loves. She finds the king with the crown and her heart rejoices.
We live in a world where people are seeking. Unfortunately, many of us have sought love in the wrong places or with the wrong people. Those pursuits can leave us with battle scars and can impact how we approach pursuing love. The natural response if you have been hurt is to be guarded and not fully give yourself to love. All people fall short of God's perfection so even the best relationships will have ups and downs. The invitation of the bible is to learn that God is trustworthy. God is worthy of your heart and will never let you down. The king of righteousness will rightly handle your heart. Have you learned to trust him? Where could old battle wounds still be impacting your trust?
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and relent and leave behind a blessing...Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed...Afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth…And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.”
Joel 2:1, 11- 32
What would you ask for if you knew God would answer any prayer and give you any blessing you desired? How bold would your prayer be? Could you imagine asking God for the fullness of the power that Jesus possessed? God wants to give you that same power to be used for His same purposes. God says turn to me and let me lead you to the blessing I have prepared for you. The same promises in Joel are quoted later at the birth of the church on Pentecost.
What does it mean to rend your heart? Rending is not a word that we use often. God is saying that I am not looking for outward change first. He is looking on the inside out. This is the process that we follow as we turn to Jesus. He meets us where we are and changes our lives on step at a time, starting with a step of faith in the heart. The idea of rending is the same idea as repentance. It is more than just saying sorry. It is completely turning the direction you are going with a desire to live for God.
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist...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.
2 Timothy 4:1-8, 22
Paul is no stranger to serious conflict. In fact if anyone had a doctoral degree in conflict it was likely Paul. As Saul, he had persecuted and fought against the followers of the way. He fought what he thought was the fight of faith only to realize he was fighting a losing battle. When he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, everything changed. Paul rended his heart and turned his life towards God. Paul did not let his past keep him from God’s purposes. He used the painful lessons of persecuting others to help fuel the gratitude for God’s grace that kept him going. When Paul speaks about fighting a fight, we should listen. What does Paul say?
Be prepared. There is nothing worse than showing up to a gun fight with a knife. We have to set ourselves up for success. Each of us face temptations and have to understand that if you put yourself in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people that wrong things could happen. The battle we fight is not one of flesh and blood, but spiritually far more difficult than most people imagine.
There will be obstacles in your way and people who try to lead you astray. Paul says be prepared by preaching, practicing, and with patience. Notice how Paul says to be prepared in season and out of season. Paul is saying surround yourself with people who will be honest with you and who you can be humble with to make sure you keep yourself in the ring. Paul does not want to see you get knocked out of the ring of purpose with a low blow because you are caught off guard by one of life’s sucker punches.
Paul says fight, finish, keep. These are strong action words because Paul knows that following Jesus never involves sitting on your hands when the fight comes. We are called to be the people who stand up for others, help where we can help, and storm the gates of hell. Why? Because Jesus calls us to be salt and light. He calls us to be faithful and trust Him through the fights we will face. The best part is not only do we grow stronger as we persevere, but there is a crown of righteousness waiting for us on the other side. When we fight we are not fighting alone, we are fighting with the God who never fails. One day we will be crowned. One day we will find victory. One day we will stand in the presence of God and have eternal peace. Until that day, let’s rend our hearts where we need to rend, let’s fight where we need to fight, and let’s be prepared to fight the righteous battles as soldiers of the army of the Almighty.