“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12
James, the half-brother of Jesus, is writing to Jewish
believers who “are scattered abroad” by persecution (1:1). He wants to
encourage them to patiently endure “various trials” as a means of
developing spiritual maturity (1:2-4). James informs his readers that a man is “blessed”
(makarios) or fortunate when he “endures temptations.” The word “endures”
(hypomenō) literally means
“remaining under or bearing up under the load” of difficulties. The word “temptation” (peirasmos) is
the same word translated “trials” in verse 2. When Christians are facing
trials they can also be enticed to sin (tempted) perhaps to escape the pressure
or pain they feel when facing a difficulty.
Believers who successfully endure a trial without yielding
to the temptation to sin out of “love” (agapaō) for the Lord, will be “approved”
(dokimos) by Christ both now and at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1:12; cf.
2:12-13; 5:7-9). This word for “approved” denotes passing the necessary
test and thus being approved or pleasing to the one doing the testing. All
believers will stand before Christ at His Judgment Seat after the rapture of
the Church to give an account of themselves before the Lord. Those who lived
for Christ and endured trials and temptation to the end of their lives on earth
will be approved by Jesus and “receive the crown of life which the Lord has
promised to those who love Him” (1:12).
The word for “crown” (stephanos) refers to a circular garland awarded to the winner of an ancient athletic game like the Greek Olympics. Believers who faithfully endure trials out of love for the Lord will receive something much greater than a temporary reward. This “crown of life” refers to a greater capacity to enjoy life with Jesus both now and in the world to come forever.
When I ran track in high school, I trained hard because I
wanted to win a medal in my race. Even though I had failed to win a medal in
previous races, I still prepared for the next race thinking I could win. Keeping
the thought of winning a medal in the front of my mind as I trained and
eventually competed in the race, motivated me to do my very best and not give
up.
The same is true in our Christian lives. To earn the crown
of life from Jesus, we must faithfully endure trials and temptations for Him to
the end of our Christian lives. To do this, it is important to train our minds
to imagine Jesus rewarding us at the Judgment Seat of Christ, saying to us, “Well
done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will
make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21).
Like an athlete who visualizes himself winning a race, visualizing ourselves
remaining faithful to Christ and receiving this reward from Him will actually
create new neurologial pathways in our brain. And our brains respond the same
way to mental rehearsing of a task and actually performing the task.
Prayer: Precious Lord Jesus, by Your grace I commit
to following You and focusing on the surpassing joy of being approved by You at
the Judgment Seat where I can receive the crown of life which enables me to
enjoy eternal life with You even more. Please help me to mentally visualize remaining
faithful to You now and receiving the crown of life from You in the future. Oh
how I long to hear You say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Thank You
Lord Jesus for hearing my prayer. In Your name. Amen.