Last Sunday as I was praying and waiting to head over to church, I thought about leaving The Way at year’s end and how hard it was to “turn my baby over to someone else.”
As I prayed about what I was feeling, I distinctly heard God say, “It’s not your baby, it’s mine.”
Ah. Yes. It is “His baby.” The only reason there is a church in Middleton, Idaho, is because God ordained it and provided the wisdom and the power to give it life.
In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 4, we are given a peak into the Throne Room of God. John looked around and tried to describe what he was seeing. There were rainbows, fiery torches, thrones, gold crowns, a sea of glass and four beings he can only describe as “living creatures” which worship God day and night.
Whenever these living creature give glory to God the elders cast their crowns before the One seated on the throne.
“Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the One seated on the throne, the One who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, worship the One who lives forever and ever, cast their crowns before the throne, and say: “Our Lord and God, You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because You have created all things, and because of Your will they exist and were created.” [4:9-11 HCSB]
Some scholars claim we, the church, are represented in those elders. Whether or not that is accurate, it reminded me that the only way we have any reward, any crowns at all, is because our God shared “His babies” with us. He allowed us to be part of His vision for His church. He provided the encouragement, the power, the wisdom, the desires to work alongside Him. And because we accepted His invitation and allowed Him to use us, we receive rewards and crowns.
Amazing, isn’t it! He does it all and we get crowns.
