In the Bible, Christians are told that they will be rewarded with the crown of righteousness (2Timothy 4:8), the crown of life (James 1:12), the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4) by God and Christ. What is this crown and how do we qualify for it?
In the literal sense, this crown was “the wreath or garland” which was given as a prize to victors in the Greek public games. But in the Christian context, this crown refers to the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ. The crown (wreath) is the reward of the righteous in Christ. The crown will be given to Christians who remain faithful to Christ and persevere to the end ( Revelation 2:10)
2. You are a victor and not a victim
As a Christian, you are a victor and not a victim. No matter how bad your situation is, you will triumph because God is able to make you succeed (Romans 14:4 GNT). With God’s help you are a victor who will rise above your circumstances and not a victim of circumstances. The Bible says you are more than a conqueror through Christ who loves you (Romans 8:37).
3. How can you become a victor in God’s eyes?
A victor in God’s eyes has the following 3 characteristics:-
(A) Better than yourself and not better than others
God sees a victor or winner differently from how the world sees a winner. In the world’s eyes, a winner has to beat off the competition. A winner has to be better than others. But in God’s view, His winner is not someone who is better than others but is someone who is better than himself. As you grow in your faith, God sees a winner developing. You may not have reached perfection (none of us will on this side of heaven), but you are better today than you were yesterday. And you will be better tomorrow than you are today.
(B) Faithfulness
When the Scripture refers to the word “crown”, one common characteristic stands out. The “crown” is not awarded to those who cross the finishing line first but is given to those who cross the finishing line. The “crown” is given to those who are faithful to the end. When you are faithful to your God and faithful to your neighbour, you are on the right track.
When God looks at your faithfulness, He sees the small things you do. In the Parable of the Talents, we read that God rewards faithfulness shown not in the big things but in the small things (Matthew 25:21).
(C) Humble submission to God’s will
A victor according to the Bible is not someone who trust in himself to do what he wants to do. Instead, God’s victor is someone who trust in Him alone. To be a victor, you need to be willing to let God have His way in your life – this is humble submission to God’s will in practice.
Based on what I described above, you can be a victor in God’s eyes.
