PT-3 “The Future: The Crown, with Which He Will Be Rewarded” (2 Tim. 4:8)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 8/2/2025 10:36 AM

My Worship Time    Focus: PT-3 “The Future: The Crown, with Which He Will Be Rewarded” 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                     Reference:  2 Timothy 4:8

Message of the verse: “In the future there is laid up 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 loved His appearing. (4:8)

            John MacArthur explains that “This reward will be based more on our motives tan our accomplishments.  The writer of Proverbs asks rhetorically, ‘Does He not consider it who weighs the heart? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to the man according to His work?’ (Prov. 24:12).  Selfishly motivated good deeds may be of great help to other people and may be used by God for His glory, but they will merit no reward for the doer.”  That is an interesting point that John MacArthur makes, and in my opinion it is the works of believers that are fulfilled with the gifts that God gives to each believer through the Holy Spirit of God that will bring rewards to them as this is what the Lord has planned for each believer to do.  As the Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers to bring glory to the Lord and then gives them the ability to use these gifts then it only makes sense that this is what the Lord desires for His children to do for the cause of Christ, and so the entire trinity is involved in this.

            MacArthur goes on to write “On the other hand, good work that is sincerely intended but not completer through no fault of the doer will merit a sincere doer’s reward, because it is the heart that God weighs.  William Borden accomplished virtually none of the ministry he had envisioned, having been cut off by death even before he reached the field of service.  But his final declaration of ‘No regrets’ was well founded in the assurance that he had genuinely sought and faithfully obeyed the Lord’s will.”

            As we look at the life of Paul we can see that at the end of his life that he had no regrets, and that he never claimed perfection.  1 Corinthians 4:4 states “For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”  Nevertheless, he had absolute confidence that God had laid up for [him] the crown of righteousness.

            John MacArthur explains that “Crown is from stephanos, which has the literal meaning of surrounding and was used of plaited wreaths or garlands that were placed on the heads of dignitaries, military victors, and winners of athletic contests as a mark of great honor.  It was a stephanos of thorns that Pilate’s soldiers placed on Jesus’ head as they mockingly hailed Him as ‘King of the Jews!’ (Matt. 27:29).

            “Stephanos perhaps most commonly was used of the wreath placed on the heads of winning athletes, much as medals are placed around the necks of Olympic champions today.  It was the only prize (cf. 2 Tim. 2:5) ancient athletes received but was cherished as a great treasure.  Yet, they run ‘to receive a perishable wreath [stephanos],’ Paul said, but we can imperishable’ (1 Cor. 9:25).”

Spiritual Meaning for My Life Today:  I like the story of William Borden as I have heard of him before, and I am thankful that MacArthur explained  that because it was his desire to do the missionary work, but could not finish it that he still would receive a reward because certainly his heart was in the right place.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  It is my desire to do the work that I believe that the Lord has called me to do in writing and placing on the internet my Spiritual Diaries each day to the glory of the Lord.

8/2/2025 11:11 AM