2 Timothy 4:8
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Are you excited about your crown?

When you go to work every day, you do so because on payday you want to get paid. You look forward to retirement so you won’t have to work, but you will still receive pay. You probably took the job based on the benefits attached to it, salary being a very important aspect. You also get excited that the longer you are on your job, the more you make. What happens when there is an issue with the company you work for? They could ask you to take a pay cut. They could lay you off. You could end up not getting the retirement you worked for. If you see your position with the Lord accurately, you work for Him.

1 Corinthians 3:9a For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

If you continue to work diligently, serving the Lord, no matter what you have to endure, the benefits and the reward will never change. You never have to worry about an issue with the company. He will never lay you off. Isn’t it a blessing to know the God you serve will do what He has promised?

Hebrews 10:23 So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word. (Amplified Bible, Classic Edition)

Isn’t it also a great blessing that the Father does not base your benefit on the time you have been on the job? Read the parable of the landowner in Matthew 20:1-16. Also read the discussion with the criminals as Jesus hung on the cross in Luke 23:39-43.

Your crown is laid up for you and for all those who remain in the faith as you wait for Jesus’s return.

James 1:12 Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. (Amplified Bible)

Please agree with me as I pray:
Father, I did nothing to earn my salvation. It is because of what You did for me, and I thank You. You have promised I will be with You in glory. And if that was not enough, if I am a faithful servant, I can expect to wear a crown. It does not matter what title I have or don’t have. It does not matter how long or tough the road I have to travel. It does not matter what position I hold. It does not matter if I have to walk alone. It does not matter how many mistakes I made. What matters in my faithfulness to stay the course. You give the race to the one who endures to the end. I must continue to look, with expectancy, for Your return with my hope based in You. I know it is only because of Your grace I can remain, and I thank You for it…