2022-08-05
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today, I have been commanded by the Holy Spirit to write about the crown of separation. Remember that “crown” is defined as a reward a believer being glorified receives upon his or her going to heaven to be with the Lord, not decorative headwear worn by royalty. You’ll also remember that we are looking at the seven crowns in heaven and have examined the crowns of protection, incorruptibility, rejoicing, life, and righteousness so far. The last one will be discussed next week, which is the crown of glory.
The most logical way to approach discussion of the crown of separation is to begin with what the Lord Jesus meant when He spoke of the “separation of sheep and goats” in MT 25: 32. This familiar term means the separation of the righteous from the unrighteous, i e those who are genuine believers and those who serially reject the Lord. EPH 5: 11, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” In order to obey this command, one must read and study the word of God, open his heart to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and live a life of good thoughts and actions in line with what he has been taught in the Bible. Our earthly lives differ greatly from the life we hope to have for an eternity of fellowship with God. We must navigate through our exposure to various evils on earth and learn to recognize what is in line with God and what isn’t. Often, we try a thought or action and must suffer some consequences of breaking with God’s teaching before we see it is a wrong choice and put ourselves back in line with God. We have been told, in 2 COR 6: 14, “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or, what fellowship can light have with darkness?” Remember we’ve been told, in 2 TIM 3: 16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The prophet Amos, in Amos 3: 3, asks this question: “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” I’ve mentioned in the past that when I was middle school aged, I began running with the wrong crowd, teenagers who would eventually be jailed for their wrongful behavior. I was doing property damage at the time in response to being angry with my parents. Thankfully, my father realized the real reason for some of my anger; I was not being sufficiently intellectually challenged at the school I attended. He wisely pulled me away from this crowd by having me tested to see if I could qualify for the one all-academic high school in our district. I passed the tests and was admitted to this school. After the first six months, often finding myself in detention for breaking the rules, I suddenly realized I could take subjects that really interested me. That was the beginning of a much-needed turnaround in both my attitude and my behavior.
The church at Smyrna is undergoing poverty, when the Lord acknowledges that He knows of their afflictions and that they should not be afraid of what they are about to suffer [a reference to persecution and imprisonments]. He called their persecutors, “synagogues of Satan,” In REV 2: 10, Christ tells the church at Smyrna that their faith is being tested, and they should remain obediently faithful. Those who do, will be separated from those who don’t remain faithful, and their perseverance will earn them a victor’s crown in heaven. To me, that relatively short-lived misery is worth an eternity with the crown of separation!
Paul’s wisdom, from the Holy Spirit, was shared, in 1 TIM 6: 12, with his younger protégé, Timothy. It is good advice for all of us. “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your confession in the presence of many witnesses.” God knows our circumstances and He has given us the power to obey this directive if we will only obey it. Believe me, there are plenty of ways we can go awry, all by giving in to temptation from the natural desires of our bodies. Paul wrote, in GA 5: 16-17, “So I say, ‘Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.’” If at a crossroads about what to do, ask the Lord to help you with his decision. 1 THESS 5: 16-20, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We should never quench the Spirit or treat prophecies with contempt. Instead, we should test them all, hold on to what is good, and reject every kind of evil.”
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to You with heads bowed in reverence and awe. You hear our every prayer and are with those who love You all the time. We are studying the seven crowns of heaven to better see the value of what we would be turning away if we rejected You. You are a wise God, Who through Your Son, Jesus Christ, shares with us His wisdom, goodness, and other blessings would separate us from those who reject the Holy Spirit. His gifts and the mystery of Christ in us are too important to our eternal live to foolishly reject them. Therefore, we pledge You our faith in You, our willingness to trust You, and our gratitude for always making prayer available to us. We praise You, for giving us the Holy Spirit to guide us and for allowing us to gradually separate ourselves from our sinful nature. That You created us to be able to do this is a wonderful blessing out of many You give us. We offer You our love, faith, honor, loyalty, praise, and thanks forever. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit has saved the most important crown, that of glory, for next week’s discussion. It may be last, but it is surely not the least! Due to Christ’s Atonement, He can and will transform our lowly bodies so they will be like His glorious one [PHIL 3: 21]. What a great blessing He gives us in this victory over spiritual death and evildoing! This is one of the ways I believe Christ has rewarded my husband, Peter, for his kindness and goodness to me and others. It is one of the important reasons why I no longer worry that Peter’s earthly maladies and challenged life on earth can continue. He is at peace with God and has his every need met. While I miss him tremendously, I am motivated to obey God’s teaching and commands, so that I can be reunited with the Lord, him and all my righteous ancestors. For now, my focus is on what kind of legacy will I leave behind when my time to go to heaven comes? That’s not a bad question for each of us to ask ourselves! We must offer our Lord praise and thanks!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2022. All Rights Reserved.
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