Cast Your Crown
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Revelation 7:11-1211. And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12. saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."
Revelation 4:10-1210. the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 11. "Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created."
When I think about heaven, I fell like a little child waiting for Santa Claus! The nearer the calendar draws to Christmas, the more animated and excited I am. It’s so hard to wait for something that amazing! I think that’s why I’m drawn to scripture about heaven lately! When I think about what heaven will be like, I almost can’t contain myself.
I wonder if I will actually be able to see the face of God or if, even in heaven, his glory will be so great that we can’t look upon him. Revelation is John’s accounting of what God revealed to him, including a vision of heaven. In John’s vision, even the earthly powerful and elite threw down their crowns-their possessions, wealth, power—at the foot of the throne of God. None of it matters. None of it sustains. None of it lasts. In utter and complete shame and grief, the earthly kings cast down the symbols of their own greatness.
What crowns will we cast down? What gods are we worshipping in our lives? Does what we say is important match up with how we live? Or will we, like the twenty-four elders arrive in heaven and finally have our minds and hearts and souls opened and God’s glory and wisdom and power and might be revealed? Will it be only then that we give God the honor only he deserves? Will our thanksgiving at that time be for allowing us in his presence in spite of our abject sinfulness?
“Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all”
[I Can Only Imagine]
All will be revealed at that time. Every question we have will dissolve. Pure truth will emanate from the mind of God to our minds. Our tears will dry up. God will dry them all. We cannot begin to imagine what heaven will be like. Mere words are inadequate to even share our individual visions of heaven. We cannot describe the magnitude, the vastness, the all-encompassing goodness, wholeness, light and love that is God, that is from God and that will be ours upon arriving at the throne room.
My heart races at the thought! Until I arrive to that glorious existence, I’m going to try each day to live a life worthy of heaven.
My prayer today is that you cast down your earthly crowns and fall on your face before the throne of God. And that you imagine heaven as you struggle through each day.
Mary
Labels: heaven, power, sin, wealth
