As
Paul the apostle came to a close in his final letter to Timothy his
“dearly beloved son”, he told him, “I have fought a good fight,
I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith:”. Paul's journey and mission upon
earth was just about at the end, and in chapter four and verse eight
of his words to Timothy, he writes concerning “a crown of
righteousness” which “the Lord” “shall give” him “at that
day” where we read:
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.
The
verse begins, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness,...” Paul began with the word, “Henceforth” which
in the Greek is “loipon”
and means “remaining, the rest, hereafter, for the future, at last,
besides and moreover” “there is laid up” or “laid away or
laid by, reserved and awaiting” “for me” which is a reference
to Paul himself “a crown” which means “a mark of royal or
exalted rank such as the wreath or garland which was given as a prize
to the victors in public games” “of righteousness” or “state
of being as one ought to be, the condition acceptable to God, the way
in which man may attain approval of God, integrity, virtue, purity of
life, correctness of thinking, feeling and acting”. Paul knew after
his fight, course and keeping of the faith was ended, there would be
the crowning prize of approval and acceptance with God awaiting him.
The
verse continues, “...which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall
give me at that day:” Paul continued, “which the Lord” or “the
one to whom a person or thing belongs, master, possessor, disposer,
owner, controller, sovereign, prince, chief, and one who is worthy of
the title of honor, respect, reverence as well as the title given to
the Messiah” “the righteous judge” which refers to “the
upright, virtuous, innocent, faultless, guiltless, approved and
acceptable one who passes or arrogates to himself judgment of
anything and an arbiter and procurator administering justice”
“shall give me” or “deliver, discharge, restore, requite and
recompense to Paul” “at that day” which refers to “the
appointed interval, period or time”. Paul's idea was the Lord who
is truly the righteous procurator and administrator of justice would
have a reward ready for him when his day of appearing before Him
would finally come.
Lastly
the verse says, “and not to me only, but unto all them also that
love his appearing.” As though the “crown of righteousness” was
a strong motivation to share, Paul went on to add, “and not to me
only” or “this was not solely set apart for Paul himself” “but”
which means “moreover, in addition to, and, nevertheless, with
exception and rather” “unto all them” which refers to “each,
every, any, the whole and everyone” “also” or “even and
indeed” “that love” which means “welcome, entertain, are fond
of and love dearly” “his” which refers to “Jesus Christ
himself” “appearing” or “manifestation, advent and
brightness”. This promise of a “crown of righteousness” is not
only given to Paul, but also to everyone who will “love the
appearance” of Jesus Christ.
When
we think about Paul's words, we can almost imagine him thinking about
the Olympic games which were a part of the Roman life in which he
lived. He envisioned himself as completing his competition and
receiving a “crown of righteousness” which was his reward for
faithfully serving the Lord Jesus during his lifetime. According to
Paul, we too are promised, “the
eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine
servants of God and Christ which is the crown (or wreath) and reward
of righteousness”. We can hear Paul's motivation to Timothy as he
shares his own thoughts concerning this “prize”, and if we allow
ourselves, we too will be moved by his passionate yearning. May the
Lord Jesus help us to “love his appearing” and keep our eye on
the prize of His crown, and may we live our lives in such a manner
that we will surely receive it.
Next
time Paul tells Timothy to do “diligence to come shortly” to him,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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