ROYALTY (3)

Crown of Incorruption

As we continue our conversation on becoming royalty, let’s focus on the third crown:  Crown of Incorruption.  1 Corinthians 9:25-27 says, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.   I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:  But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”    

The Five Crowns

• Crown of Righteousness

 ^“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  (2 Timothy 4:8)

 

• Crown of Life

“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)

 

• Crown of Incorruption

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”  (1 Corinthians 9:25)

 

• Crown of Rejoicing

“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?  For you are our glory and joy.”  (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20)

 

• Crown of Glory

“and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”  (1 Peter 5:4)

 

What does the Bible mean by Incorruption?  Well, to define incorruption, we must first define Corruption.  Corruption—moral perversion, depravity, dishonesty, rotten, polluted, contaminated, reprobate, debauched…Now, on the other hand, Incorruption—not debased or perverted; morally upright, respectable, sound, blameless, obedient, pure, straight…See the difference??? 

 

If we desire to obtain this third crown, we must live a disciplined life now.  We must become a “Practicing Christian.”  How do we accomplish that?    Like an athlete who trains hard to win a reward that will fade away; we should train ourselves to win the crown that will not fade away.  We must realize that the life that we are now living on earth is a proving or training ground.  So to become a “Practicing Christian”, we can follow a training plan like that of an Olympic athlete.

 

P.C.P. (Practicing Christian Plan)

Finding the right motivation to train or stick with the plan on a regular basis isn’t going to be easy.  Demanding work schedules, burn-out, family commitments and illness are just a few of the things that may interrupt your plan.  But here’s an outline for a plan that you can use to develop discipline on your spiritual walk (making the assumption that you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior):

 

1. Set Specific Goals.  Research has shown that setting specific goals can be very motivating.  A specific goal to get up everyday an hour earlier for personal prayer/devotional time with God vs. I’ll start praying more.
2. Set Measurable Goals.  Simply saying you’ll start praying more is not enough detail.  You need to be able to be able to document your progress.  Don’t just get up an hour earlier, keep a prayer journal and use a daily devotional.
• Set Action-Oriented Goals.  An important step in goal-setting that you don’t want to overlook is to keep your goals focused on personal action.  Don’t just consider what you want to achieve, but how you plan to achieve it.
3. Set Realistic Goals.  Start where you are and increase you goals appropriately.  For example, if you’ve never fasted before, don’t try to do a 3-day water-only fast.  While this may be a long-term goal, in the short-term you may want to shoot for a 12 hour or 24 hour fast.
4. Set Time-Base Goals.  Let’s look at our first example:  getting up an hour earlier everyday.  This is specific and time-based.  Without being specific and time-based, you may procrastinate by hitting that snooze button or just resetting that alarm clock altogether.
5. Proper Individual Diet.  Make sure you are eating the appropriate things.  I’m not talking about physical food.  I’m talking about The Word of God, The Holy Bible.  You will not be able to sustain your training without personally feasting on God’s Word everyday. 
6. Find a good Spiritual Fitness Center.  I’m referring to a good church.  You will need to find a good church that will meet all your personal needs, preaches and teaches the unadulterated Word of God and helps you stay motivated on your path of becoming a “Practicing Christian”.  How do you find a good Spiritual Fitness Center:
• Find a church near your home. 
• Find out what the church’s vision, mission and membership requirements are before you join.
• Find out what the church’s statement of faith is.  What do they believe?  Don’t make the assumption that they believe what you believe.
• Make sure the church is a place where you can grow, thrive and use your God-given gifts and talents.
7. Find a good Workout Partner.  In other words, an accountability/prayer partner.  This should be someone whom you can be totally honest with and who is not afraid to tell you that you have veered off the path of righteousness.  Someone who is also following their own P.C.P.

 

If you can follow this plan or one that is similar, you will be able to finish the race and receive the reward—the Crown of Incorruption.  1 Corinthians 9:24, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?  So run, that ye may obtain.”  Then you will hear the words that we should all long to hear from our Lord Jesus, “…Well done, thou good and faithful servant:  thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:  enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”  Matthew 25:21

 

Next up:  Crown of Rejoicing.