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The ultimate trophy (2)
'... what is our ... crown in which we will glory ...?' 1 Thessalonians 2:19
A trophy is anything that you can get other people to look at that will make them go 'Wow! You're amazing!' Solomon said '... riches do not endure ... a crown is not secure for all generations' (Proverbs 27:24 NIV).
When we try to impress people we think are important, we're trophy collecting. It's so easy to get it wrong, to think you know what the best trophies are to get. What about knowing all the words to the songs, that'll impress people, right? Or having the most friends; then I've made it as Miss Popular. Or if my Bible is really battered and ripped, that shows I read it loads, and everyone will be amazed.
Being the youth leader's favourite, that's gotta be worth something, right? Or hang on, what about learning Bible verses and spouting them out in every sentence I breathe? No, wait, I've got it - having the most 'PUSH or FROG or WWJD bands; that would impress people, surely?
Well, there's nothing especially wrong with any of those things in themselves, but they're not the trophy Paul tells us to focus on. He was collecting a different kind of 'crown', as he told the Philippians '... what is our ... crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord ... is it not you?' Paul's crown or trophy wasn't anything to do with his own personal achievement, but rather the people he witnessed to, and discipled.
written by Bob Gass
'... what is our ... crown in which we will glory ...?' 1 Thessalonians 2:19
A trophy is anything that you can get other people to look at that will make them go 'Wow! You're amazing!' Solomon said '... riches do not endure ... a crown is not secure for all generations' (Proverbs 27:24 NIV).
When we try to impress people we think are important, we're trophy collecting. It's so easy to get it wrong, to think you know what the best trophies are to get. What about knowing all the words to the songs, that'll impress people, right? Or having the most friends; then I've made it as Miss Popular. Or if my Bible is really battered and ripped, that shows I read it loads, and everyone will be amazed.
Being the youth leader's favourite, that's gotta be worth something, right? Or hang on, what about learning Bible verses and spouting them out in every sentence I breathe? No, wait, I've got it - having the most 'PUSH or FROG or WWJD bands; that would impress people, surely?
Well, there's nothing especially wrong with any of those things in themselves, but they're not the trophy Paul tells us to focus on. He was collecting a different kind of 'crown', as he told the Philippians '... what is our ... crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord ... is it not you?' Paul's crown or trophy wasn't anything to do with his own personal achievement, but rather the people he witnessed to, and discipled.
written by Bob Gass
