Crowns aren’t something most of us spend much time thinking about. How would somebody even get one? When we hear the word “crown,” most of us think of kings, and there are some countries with monarchs who inherit crowns. But in 21st century U. S. society, if you have a crown you probably won a beauty contest (or ate at Burger King).
In his very last letter, the Apostle Paul wrote:
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
Paul says he’s expecting “the crown of righteousness.” Other places in Scripture talk about believers receiving “the crown of life” (James 1:12), “the crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4) and “the victor’s crown” (2 Timothy 2:5, Revelation 2:10). In 1 Corinthians 9:25 Paul compares the crown that we should be striving for with the crown given to winning athletes. In each case the crown, by whatever name, is given to those who remain faithful to the end, who persevere and overcome.
This is not the crown of a ruler, but of a champion. At the time Paul was writing, winning athletes were given a crown. If Paul were writing today, he might have talked instead about a trophy. And this trophy, this “crown,” is not just for Paul, but for other believers as well. Some other believers, anyway. Those who have “longed for his appearing.”
If I’m entangled with the affairs of this world, I’m not longing for Christ to return. I have too much business I want to finish first. If I’m living in a way that I know is not pleasing to God, then I’m certainly not longing for Jesus to return and find me in that condition. If I’m genuinely longing for Christ’s return, hoping every day that it’s the last day, then I will be putting all my time and all my energy into getting both myself, and whatever portion of the world I am able to affect, ready for his arrival.
This doesn’t necessarily mean quitting my secular job; it could mean working extra hard at that job, because I’m doing it in a way that honors God and blesses others. It doesn’t mean ignoring rest or failing to find joy in the good things God has brought into my life. Getting ready for Christ’s arrival might even mean that I spend some of my time playing with my dog, because bringing joy to a creature God created might well be the best thing I can do with my time at that moment. Longing for Christ’s return means that in everything I do I’m asking, “is this something I’d want Jesus to find me doing if he returns right now?”
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Longing for his return means persevering in living for Christ. Doing, and continuing to do, what I know pleases him, even when it costs. The crown is not for all those who claim to follow Jesus, it’s for those who do follow him, all the way to the end.