CAPA Corner: The Crown of Life

    James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
    Why do we endure temptation? The most common answer to this question is: to receive the crown of life. But in all honesty this is not why we endure.  The crown of life is a promise to those who remain faithful in trying times; its automatic. The crown of life is not why we endure; it is what we receive when we endure. 
    So why do we endure temptation?  The Christian endures temptation because he loves God. If you look at the last part of that verse, “…which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”  Being obedient to the first and great commandment: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, … will get you through the fiery furnaces, the lions dens, the enemy’s hands, the raging storms, and the darkest valleys. 
    To love God is to know God. How do we know God? I John 2:3-6  “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”
    How do we love God and our Lord Jesus Christ? John 14:15,21 & 23  [Jesus said] “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”  “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”
    Being obedient to God’s holy word allows the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and help us grow in the knowledge of God. The more God is revealed to us the stronger our love will be for him. The stronger our love, the stronger our faith, and when we are tried we will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.
In Christ’s Love,
Kenny Kepper
Pastor, Berean Ministries