Lighting Up Our City Video 7: The Importance of Perseveranceනියැදිය

Day 5:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13-14 NIV)

Crossing the finish line is the goal of every race. But the apostle Paul reminds us that earthly competitions focus on winning a crown that will fade. In his day, victors often received a laurel wreath, a perishable crown that would soon wither and return to dust. But, Paul adds, in the Christian race, we are running toward an imperishable crown (1 Cor. 9:25).

Paul reflected on this theme later in life, when he wrote Timothy, his son in the faith, that he had “finished the race” and looked forward to receiving “the crown of righteousness” from Jesus (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

This crown of righteousness is a symbol of the ultimate victory that will come when we stand face to face with Jesus, whether that’s at the end of our life or when He comes again. It represents the transforming work Christ has done for us and for the world He so loved.

It is only through Jesus that we have righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of Christ,” and as Galatians 3:27 puts it, we are now “clothed in Christ.” We are covered in Christ’s righteousness when we accept Him as Savior and trust Him to be Lord of our lives. We are transformed into His image and will live in His presence forever.

One of the things that excites me most when I think about this crown is that we will have the opportunity, like the elders in Revelation, to lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus to show our gratitude to the One who is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise.

This ultimate goal – not the crown itself – should inspire us each day as we fix our eyes on Christ. He won the victory over sin and death to welcome us into the Heavenly Father’s family forever. That glorious promise should help us persevere through the struggles and trials of life.

Hallelujah! What a wonderful Savior we serve! May we always fix our eyes on Him as we run the race set out before us.

By Dawn Tolbert