Bob Tamacy: The crown that no one can ever take away

Bob Tamasi

Have you noticed how cyclical sports are? Every sport has its own season, and every year there are many comments about who will win the championship that year. It’s fun and all that—unless you’re rooting for a team that never puts together a championship-caliber roster. But even if your team wins it all, the celebration will be short-lived.

For example, how many of us can name the Super Bowl champions from two years ago? Some of us have already forgotten who won it last year. This year, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers rekindled memories of their longtime World Series rivalry. But do you remember who won the World Series crown last year? What about two or three years ago?

As King Solomon wrote thousands of years ago: “It makes no sense! Pointless!.. Completely pointless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). You’d think his team had just lost the championship match!

I don’t want to be as pessimistic as the ancient Israeli king, but this is a fact of life. The excitement and euphoria of winning a sporting crown, for both athletes and fans, is very fleeting. As the Apostle James noted: “What is your life like? You are a mist (vapor) that appears for a while and then disappears.” (James 4:14). Migrant.

In addition to the World Series—which may already be over by the time you read this, as the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead—college football is halfway through determining who the competing teams will be in the first-ever playoff -offs of the championship; The NFL is also in the middle of its season; and the NBA and NHL seasons have just begun. The search for new championships continues, although even recent champions are almost forgotten. The glory of their crowns is already fading.

The Apostle Paul, who was obviously very familiar with competitive sports, offered this perspective:

“Don’t you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get a prize. Everyone who participates in the games undergoes rigorous training. They do this to gain a short-lived crown; but we do this to gain a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like a person running aimlessly; I don’t fight like a man punching the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave, so that after I preach to others, I myself will not be deprived of the right to a reward.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

There is a lot to be learned from these verses, but two things stand out to me. First, while competitors vie for short-lived crowns, we as followers of Jesus strive for crowns that will last forever. Earthly championships can bring crowns, trophies and medals that fill display cases and gather dust. But the crowns that God bestows on those who worshiped and served Him on earth will never fade, become dust collectors, or be forgotten. Another translation says: “…They do this for the sake of an incorruptible crown, but we do this for the sake of an incorruptible crown.”

The second point is Paul’s zeal and determination to fulfill the mission God gave him. He said: “I beat my body and make it my slave so that … I myself will not be deprived of the right to claim the prize.” The apostle did not speak of the loss of salvation or the deprivation of eternal life; he was referring to his desire to finish well and not step aside before his spiritual journey came to an end.

To be honest, it’s not entirely clear to me what these eternal crowns will be like. Much has been said and written about them, but I doubt that anyone will know for sure until we stand before the Lord. But Scripture makes it clear that we will definitely receive crowns. “Now the crown of righteousness is laid up for me, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will reward me on that day – and not only to me, but also to those who longed for His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8).

Too often we hear of prominent Christian leaders who have succumbed to sin and fallen from grace. The “prize” they expected might be denied them; they were disqualified. If they fail to resist the temptations of this temporary life, the consequences they will face will be eternal.

In the coming weeks, I will be there, cheering for my teams and hoping for victory. It would be great if one of them earned another championship crown. But much more important is the crown that God may one day give me. Proverbs 16:31 sis, “Gray hair is the crown of splendor; it is achieved through righteousness.” My gray hair is already accumulating. My goal is the crown, that is, how New live translation expresses it: “acquired by living a godly life.”

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Robert J. Tamasi is an experienced journalist, former newspaper editor and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 15 books. These include the recently published Market Ambassadors; Business at its Best: Timeless Proverbial Wisdom for the Modern Workplace; “The Tufting Legacy,” “The Heart of Mentoring,” and “Following Life with the Heart of a Shepherd.” The weekly business meditation he edits, Monday Manna, is translated into over 20 languages ​​and emailed worldwide by CBMC International. His blog address is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is [email protected].