Episode 65: The Best Gifts Of Christmas: The 5 Eternal Crowns

Jacob Paul: Welcome to the truth and love podcast with your hosts Kimberly Faith and John Mack. The truth and love podcast seeks to present God’s timeless truth through the lens of his remarkable love.

Kimberly Faith: Well, dad, I tell you last last week’s podcast about the eternal rewards is a pretty exciting topic to talk about at Christmas.

John McLarty: It’s pretty stimulating actually. Was just sitting here pondering that we go through life and even in serving God, we just don’t think about the eternal implications. So I think it is motivating to think about it. Just to be honest with you, as we go into today’s subject, the crowns, I’ll be learning some things just as we ponder this. Because I just haven’t in my Christian life and like we said in the earlier podcast, you try to attain these eternal rewards and crowns.

If that’s your goal, you won’t get there.

Kimberly Faith: Exactly.

John McLarty: But the fact that they’re there and they’re clearly taught in the Bible is intriguing.

Kimberly Faith: It is.

John McLarty: And we can benefit from it.

Kimberly Faith: Well, I think this is a season that Christmas is a season where we look to be encouraged, rejuvenated, inspire hope, really rejoice in the hope that we have. And for me studying just the Gifts of Christmas series and writing it, I honestly had no idea there were five crowns. And these are five crowns that the Bible says exist for born again believers. We’re going to talk about each of the verses that describe each crown. The reason that this got me really excited was not because I wanted to run out and start thinking about, Oh, I wonder which crown I’m earning today, but it was because it reminded me that everything that I think, everything that I say, everything that I do matters for eternity.

My life matters. When you one of the great I think the great I don’t know the sad things that I see at Christmas are people who don’t think their life matters. They’re discouraged, they’re despairing and they’re lonely.

John McLarty: And something that reminds me of is God wants to bless us.

Kimberly Faith: Yes.

John McLarty: And again, we say this over and again, not in the sense of a prosperity gospel, but God’s desire is to bless us.

Kimberly Faith: Yes.

John McLarty: And we just think here around Christmas time, we’re blessed if we can give somebody a gift that’s really a true blessing to them, that blesses us.

Kimberly Faith: A meaningful gift.

John McLarty: A meaningful gift. And God wants that for us. He doesn’t want this miserable life for us in this life or as we go on into eternity. And it’s just it’s motivating to to think about the ways God wants to bless us.

Kimberly Faith: Well, I I think about that that time when you got me into buying junk silver. Remember that?

John McLarty: And I

Kimberly Faith: bought all that those bags of junk silver, and I didn’t know anything. Of course, you’ve been a coin collector since you were a little guy, and I didn’t know anything. And you said, well, you need to go through all these bought bags of dimes, and you need to look for which dime was it again?

John McLarty: The $19.16 d. Yeah. Mercury dime.

Kimberly Faith: That right. You said go through all these dimes and look for this dime.

John McLarty: And I said, but you won’t find one.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: Because my dad and I went through thousands of dimes Right. Back in the sixties looking for that that rare date.

Kimberly Faith: And so I sit down and I buy these, I don’t know, three bags of junk silver. And I go through and I I’m I’m looking at this dime and I’m going, this can’t be one of these this dime dad’s talking about. And so I send you a picture and you you get all excited because it’s the dime. It’s the one you said to look for. I had no idea.

You know? And so that dime didn’t mean much to me, except that maybe it was worth some money.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: But I remember when when the Lord put it in my heart to give that dime to you for your birthday or, I don’t remember, Father’s Day or something.

John McLarty: I think you just gave it to me. I don’t I can’t even think of it. Yeah. That it was an occasion.

Kimberly Faith: I remember Well, It

John McLarty: was.

Kimberly Faith: I was so excited to give that to you because it meant so much to you because you’d look for one your whole life.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: And I think, you know, if me being evil, really I mean, my I’m I’m without Christ, I’m evil, wanna give a good gift and get excitement. Right. That’s kind a

John McLarty: paraphrase of a bible verse.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. If

John McLarty: we being evil Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: How to give good gifts.

John McLarty: Wanna bless our children.

Kimberly Faith: Right. And I thought, you know, this when I was when I started studying these crowns, and I just do doing research about how many crowns are there in the Bible for born again believers, that’s kind of the story I thought about. I thought, you know, I really wanted to bless you with something that meant something to you, a significant gift, you know, as opposed to something that I mean, pair of jeans or something that you’d go get yourself.

John McLarty: Well, before we jump into the five crowns, the way that blessing multiplied because you gave me that dime. I thought, well, it’s surely got counterfeit because people will take a $19.18 and they’ll very cleverly so I sent it off to a coin professional, a service, and they verified it. So I got so excited about it, and you did bless me with that. So I took it to Lubbock and showed my dad and he was astonished. I think, you know, so just you finding that and then giving it to me kind of impressed him and was a blessing to him, not only the dime, but that you found it and gave it to me.

It’s just interesting how those those blessings multiply.

Kimberly Faith: It’s a 100% true. And and you gave me the opportunity to do it because you suggested I buy junk silver and look through it. I would never even look through it if you know what I’m saying?

John McLarty: And by the way, I still have that dime.

Kimberly Faith: I’m glad to hear that, dad. But I think that, you know, when we think about crowns, you know, it’s not something like, we don’t live in a in a under a monarchy, so we don’t think about, you know, the like, for example, the some crown jewels were just stolen in, you know, in some heist in London recently. And Mhmm. I, you know, I think they caught thieves. But we don’t really think in terms of that in the country we live in because we don’t have a monarchy.

But, you know, crowns are associated are visual of something we know is valuable.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: And so when when I got to to I like I said, I had no idea there were these five crowns. And I was like, okay, Lord. Well, you must have a reason for for showing this to me. And I’ll tell you, it got me just like the eternal gifts we talked about last week, it got me really excited about serving the Lord. Because if my life is so significant to the Lord that everything I think about, everything I say, everything I do matters, and I mean, that in and of itself is enough of a reward that our life is significant, right?

That we have the joy.

John McLarty: Because we all need purpose.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. That’s right. But the fact that he says, and guess what? I have these crowns for you, is it’s kind of like, it’s almost too much, but it’s so motivating.

John McLarty: It is.

Kimberly Faith: It’s so motivating because honestly, these crowns aren’t going to be something we’re going to keep to ourselves anyway. We’re going to cast them out to The one who left his crown gives us crowns to give back to him. It’s kind of like the dime story. You said buy the silver and look for this dime. I found the dime, gave it to you, and you blessed your dad who had blessed you by getting you involved in coin collecting.

It’s a circular thing.

John McLarty: It was. Yeah. Yeah. It was a connection to my dad and I back I mean, when I was a teenager Yeah. My dad and I spent hours searching for coins with that dime among

Kimberly Faith: funny. Well, God has a good sense of humor too, I I think.

John McLarty: He does.

Kimberly Faith: So let’s just talk about the the first one, which, you wanna read

John McLarty: I love this verse. Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: Second Timothy?

John McLarty: Second Timothy four seven through eight. The crown of righteousness. So this is Paul writing. Mhmm. I have fought the good fight.

I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. That is an incredible verse.

Kimberly Faith: So this we talked about this a little bit in the last podcast about the difference between being judged at the great white throne judgment and the judgment seat of Christ. And, you know, one is for unbelievers, one is for one is to weigh, do your works measure up, you know, which we know they can’t. And are you is your eternal destiny going to be in the presence of the Lord or in hell? And the other one is to weigh the works that you have done for the Lord. And that’s what we’re talking about.

Just to distinguish, this is not talking about people who are not born again and have not received Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, but people who become in Christ. I was just thinking about, okay, this crown of righteousness. Paul is saying, this crown of righteousness is laid up for me. It’s already there. He says, It’s given to people who have loved his appearing.

And I think about that. What does that mean, loved his appearing?

John McLarty: I think that means lived for him, love him. All I want to see him, look upon his face. Just rather than loving this world, people that by yielding to their inner man, their born again nature, fall in love with Jesus and are looking forward to the appearing. Think of, you know, even so, come Lord Jesus. The heart of, you know, revelation, John the revelator, even so, come Lord Jesus.

Mean Instead of, wait, wait, I’ve still got I haven’t bought that certain guitar or certain car.

Kimberly Faith: Got married or had kids or whatever. Yeah. Know, when I was thinking about this and my own conflicting emotions about like, well, do I want Jesus to come back, like, as soon as possible? On one hand, I don’t because there are people I still want to see come to Lord. And on the other hand, yeah, even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

I mean, I’m tired, you know? But I think you’ve hit the nail on the head when you say you’ve fallen in love with Jesus. Because when we love him with all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our might, all of our soul, everything we are is focused on him, then our perspective has changed in so much that we’re experiencing his presence now. It’s not that we’re not longing for his return, we’re living in his presence now. We’re longing to live in his presence now.

We’re loving his appearing now. You know? And so it’s kind of there’s multiple ways to apply that. Yes. Paul because Paul said, I have fought the good fight.

I have finished the race. He was at the end of his life.

John McLarty: He was.

Kimberly Faith: And and we don’t know if we’re at the end of our life. Right? We we you know, I could be smashed on the interstate tomorrow. Right? We anything could happen.

But we have to live for the Lord as if it’s our last day. I think that’s what it means to love Christ’s appearing. We know we could be in Christ’s presence tomorrow.

John McLarty: So loving him day by day, that we’re loving his appearing. Right, right. I think too, we kind of mentioned it in the last podcast about the eternal gifts that Jesus said, I think he said, I’ll come quickly and my reward will be in my hand. I’m just struck here where it says, which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me that day. This will come from Jesus.

And so it’s very personal.

Kimberly Faith: It is and it’s, and again, I don’t know that we can completely wrap our mind around it. We’ve tried to give little human examples about that and, but the nice thing is we don’t have to wrap our mind around it when we’re living in the mind of Christ, because then we have enough insight into what’s important every day to just, you just got to keep up. I always say this, People say, how are doing? I’m just trying to keep up with God. Just keep up with the plan for today.

You don’t really have time to dread the day or to, you know, get sad or get depressed or get sidetracked. You know you’re in the battle, you’re in the fight. Keeping the faith is is kind of a it’s almost a desperate mess a desperate measure because you’re just trying to keep up. You know?

John McLarty: Yeah. I think that’s a good point. I referenced earlier, we we don’t live our Christian life really focused on these eternal rewards and the crowns, because the Lord just keeps us busy. He does. And I do want to point out that this righteousness, this crown of righteousness is kind of above and beyond this righteousness.

We know salvation, we’re made the righteousness of God through Christ. All to his credit and glory. But that’s to every believer. So this is something to, you might say, to long for, to strive for, to hope, to attain. It’s really that personal relationship with him and cultivating that.

Then we’ll love him, we’ll love his appearing. And I think it’s kind of a little bit mysterious what Paul’s referring to here, but it’s intriguing.

Kimberly Faith: Well, it’s like he in the Bible says, He became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of Christ in him.

John McLarty: So every believer has that.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. But I think about when we give up sin, when we give up, sin is just, you know, is a violation of God’s love. That’s what sin is, is choosing our way above his way, however you want to put it. And it takes us out of the presence of his righteousness. So when we choose to live in God’s presence, we’re choosing to live in his righteousness.

And again, like you said, I can’t imagine what that kind of righteousness is going to look like, but I know we get to have part of it.

John McLarty: And this is interesting. Remember podcast on the the mind, the battle of the mind, the carnal mind? Yes. And the the mind of Christ. Mhmm.

And that’s a battle. Mhmm. So it’s a fight.

Kimberly Faith: Yes.

John McLarty: And Paul starts this with I have fought the good fight. He’s talking about that spiritual battle. Because almost everything was thrown at Paul to deter him, to stop him, to silence him. He just kept on. So he fought the good fight.

He finished the race.

Kimberly Faith: Well, righteousness is definitely a choice. Just to be clear, there’s a big difference between living in self righteousness and living in Christ’s righteousness. If and the difference is we have to displace ourself and put Christ in the center. That’s really the difference. I can if I become self righteous, that means I’m living in my own power, my own mind, my own strength, my own wisdom, you know?

But when I say, you know, all for Jesus, then I’m living in the mind of Christ, and it’s his righteousness. It’s like we’re building this crown or he’s building it because we’ve surrendered, and who knows what it’s going to look like.

John McLarty: That’s a key word, surrender. It’s yielding to him. I love that you make that point. It’s not self righteousness. It’s just yielding to his righteousness that’s in us because of the born again nature.

Kimberly Faith: Can’t wait to see what that crown of righteousness looks like.

John McLarty: And this kind of goes back to discipleship, just living faithfully.

Kimberly Faith: Right. And

John McLarty: a lot of people think this might be like, do big things and you know, be a billy a billy Right. This could just be just being faithful to church attendance. Yeah. Pray. Discipling somebody Right.

Sharing the gospel when when you can, handing out a tract.

Kimberly Faith: Well, we’re the body of Christ.

John McLarty: Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: And, you know, the Bible uses all these great analogies about the body to teach us that, you know, the cells that makes new cells are just as important as the brain

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Or the eyes. You know, we are part of a body, a bigger picture than just ourselves. And so which kinda, you know and we we talk about dying to self, which is kind of we’ve kind of segued into the second crown, which is the crown of life. And, you know, just reading I’m just gonna read the verses because Revelations two ten says, do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Be faithful and I’m reading scripture, be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life.

And then James one twelve says, also references it, 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. Now just to make sure we’re we’re clear, we’re not talking about the eternal life that we’re that we’re guaranteed through the free gift of salvation. We that’s already he’s talking to Christians in both of these verses, but we’re talking about a reward, a special reward, a crown of life for enduring trials and temptations and persecution and loss.

John McLarty: And that’s really an important and interesting distinction. Revelation says, Be faithful unto death. And then James, Blessed is the man who endures temptation. So this isn’t just the blanket, okay, you have salvation and therefore we have life, which is fellowship with Jesus. This is something that’s attained.

Kimberly Faith: It’s a separate crown that it comes from enduring. I’m not going to sit here and say, I understand all these crowns and that, you know, but I’m just reading the Bible. The Bible is saying here, these are the different crowns and here’s what you do to get them. And we know because of the context that they’re not talking about salvation, because we know salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. And so I think this crown of life is a crown that Christ sets aside for to honor people who are faithful and suffering.

And suffering doesn’t necessarily mean being a martyr. We talked about this last week and that is, it can be just, you have chosen to dedicate your business to the Lord and you have, as a result, suffered economically, or you have chosen to dedicate your children and bring them up in the word of God, maybe not send them particular schools or go to a specific church or not engage on sports on Sunday, whatever that looks like. And you’re maybe outcast by some facets of culture. So there’s many levels of enduring temptation and being persecuted, but the Bible promises us there’s a special crown, this crown of life. I don’t know what it looks like.

John McLarty: You know, we talked about this in persecution. We just don’t face the persecution in America that they’re experiencing in Nigeria. But it’s just been brought to our attention. If you had a job and say your promotion, you’d been told you are not going to get promoted unless you stop all this witnessing you’re doing.

Kimberly Faith: That happens. That happens in States. Right.

John McLarty: Or if you don’t work on Sunday, you’re not going to get this promotion. Those aren’t powerful. Mhmm. It’s facing, you know, the sword, death.

Kimberly Faith: Facing the giants because, you know, the more that we are we’re engaging in the spiritual warfare, the more powerful our walk becomes where we’re engaging in the spiritual warfare and becoming effective, the more we become a target for the enemy.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Because the enemy thinks they’re gonna win. You know? And of course, you’re gonna you’re gonna target people who are making a difference. And if your life is making a difference, then you’re a target. Our family and different people that we know have been targeted in ways that were so bizarre that you just kind of look back and go, what just happened?

But Paul’s saying, hey, remain steadfast, remain faithful, and there’s this crown of life. So I think, you know, that kind of actually is a good segue to the crown number three, which is the crown of glory. Do you want to read one Peter five?

John McLarty: Yeah, this is interesting. The elders who are among you, I exhort. Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you. And when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. And I know that he’s this verse is specifically talking about it seems to be talking about pastors, leaders in the church, but it doesn’t exclude specifically exclude teachers, mentors, parents, disciple makers. I think a shepherd is really anyone who cares for the souls of men and women.

John McLarty: Yeah. Caring for others. And that’s really that’s not our flesh. Our flesh doesn’t care for others. Right.

I mean, just in Bible studies, I tell people how much we live in the flesh. How often do we wake up in the morning and we think, How can I go help, fill in the blank, Brother George, my cousin today? But that’s the way we should be thinking.

Kimberly Faith: Right.

John McLarty: Yeah. So this is shepherds and that’s the heart of Jesus. Was the good shepherd.

Kimberly Faith: Well, I think that we’re talking about this crown of glory. It reminds me of what we read, what we talked about last week when it says your life will be a shining light forever. You think about, and then your eternal rewards like the farmer who invited Billy Graham to church. You don’t know when the Lord lays on your heart to maybe witness to somebody or to even just help them with something physical, let’s say help them move the furniture, help them go for a walk with them, whatever that looks like, you don’t know how God is going to allow you to sow into their life. And because he does it in so many different ways.

We don’t know what’s in the heart and mind of people, but God does. And if we’re aware, then we get to participate in bringing them to I hate to use the word sanctification because it’s kind of loosely used, but really once people are born again, the sanctification process is being transformed from who we used to be

John McLarty: Right, to who we transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Kimberly Faith: That’s right. That’s right. And I think the burden for caring for souls becomes lighter the more that we realize how much God cares for us. I’ll just give you an example. I was the other day I had a phone call and there was a lady that wants to start a retreat.

And was evening and I was thinking, well, I’m tired. You know, I really don’t have the energy to do this. And the Lord was like, and this was the vision I had after doing the study was, you know, there’s some pretty cool crowns that you might be missing out on or some diamonds in your crown. And by the way, if you’ll just be obedient and care for souls by having this phone call, you’re gonna be blessed now too. And I I kid you not, I I just you know, the Lord just made it.

It was a no brainer at that point. Because what these gifts of Christmas are doing for me anyway, is they’re giving me a vision of the prize, not just in eternity, but now. It’s like, whatever you know, relaxation I might’ve experienced by not doing what Lord told me to do, it was paling in comparison to the joy that I was going to have in God’s presence doing His work. And then knowing that if I can help this other person’s life, that down the line, who knows what she’s gonna

John McLarty: do. So

Kimberly Faith: after, you know, an hour and a half or two hours on the phone with her, I could barely sleep. I was so excited. It was just like, wow, I just had a mini revival. I think about how close I came to not even answering that phone. That’s the burden of souls.

John McLarty: A shepherd’s heart is to serve others, to care for others. So we may not all be elders in terms of pastors, but we should all care for souls.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. Yeah.

John McLarty: And so I don’t know the crown of glory, who you might say could qualify for that. But even if we don’t, we’re not a pastor of a church, but we’re all ambassadors for Christ. Absolutely. And we’re all well, we all should be disciplers.

Kimberly Faith: Well, Jesus said we’re the great commission isn’t written to pastors.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: It’s written to Christians. Correct. And and and so I I yeah. I agree with you. I mean, we don’t we’re pulling these crowns out of scripture.

Mhmm. So that we know that they’re there. We know that they’re real crowns. But how much you know, I’m sure that we are way underestimating the weight of glory for these crowns. But it’s, to me, it’s very exciting to talk about them because it motivates me to live differently today and even to give differently at Christmas.

You know?

John McLarty: Yeah. This is so intriguing to me. I’ve never really separated out these crowns, but it’s it’s very clear. They’re they’re They’re

Kimberly Faith: spot on.

John McLarty: Being called out in the in the scriptures Right. And to motivate us and to cause us to pause and ponder it.

Kimberly Faith: Right. Well, let’s talk about the number four, which is the incorruptible crown. Do you want to read that first Corinthians?

John McLarty: Yeah. And again, first Corinthians nine twenty four through 27. And I’ll just read the first phrase and then kind of comment on it. Do you not know that those who run-in a race all run, but one receives the prize? So these crowns do seem to indicate striving.

Yeah.

Kimberly Faith: So I’ll go They’re not a given. Given. They’re Not everybody doesn’t win.

John McLarty: So run-in such a way that you may obtain it. Now they that do obtain, now they do it to obtain a perishable crown. So let’s talk about running in a secular race, just the Olympics. But we for an imperishable crown, I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.

Kimberly Faith: All this works together. So that’s,

John McLarty: yes, All this works that’s together

Kimberly Faith: because when we are disciplining ourselves you know, to just a simple thing, get up first thing in the morning, have a quiet time, immerse yourself in God’s word, let it transform us, talk to God, listen to God, obey God. How many times have you gotten up in the morning and thought, this is what I have to do today, A, B, C, D, E? And God says, well, you can do D, but A, B, and E, we’re gonna put that on the shelf and I’ve got my own list for you. That’s a discipline. Mhmm.

You know? And that discipline and and my experience has been that when I discipline myself to follow God’s the spirit of God’s leading in my life, Sure. I may go to the office and see every one of my clients that have on my schedule, but how I see them varies vastly. I may spend with client one forty five minutes talking about salvation and fifteen minutes talking about their DWI. You know?

And but client two may be just, you know, in and out, but God’s in control. And giving him complete control of our life is is the opposite of what happened in the Garden of Eden. You know, where Eve said, no, I think I’m gonna eat that fruit so I can be like God, so I don’t need God.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: And that’s a struggle. It’s a daily struggle. But we have this great crown that won’t perish.

John McLarty: I think listeners could go back to other podcasts because this idea of I discipline my body and this running a race, that’s keys to Christian growth. And I just think about you brought out, we wake up in the morning and what should we be thinking about our to do list? But what about our prayer list? That’s a discipline. And I think you and I have both had this experience this year, 2025, which is amazing, is now going Almost over.

Almost over. But I remember we were at a church in Houston, Donya’s church, and we were challenged to start a prayer list. And that’s a discipline, but that’s been a blessing. It has been. But it’s something you had to stick with.

I’ve had to stick with it and then perfect it and try to make it more comprehensive.

Kimberly Faith: Well, just like Melissa Sharp, writes devotionals on our website and also has been on our podcast, She’s a ultra runner. She runs 100 mile races, and she doesn’t do that just casually. It’s not like some casual thing. She’s got to train every day. She runs I don’t even know how many miles she runs every day.

It’s insane. But she her she’s called the joy filled runner because that’s what God’s called her to do. But it’s a discipline, both her spiritual part and her physical part.

John McLarty: And the purpose of this, Kim, is I’m just thinking to myself now, boy, what a failure I’ve been. But the point of this is in my prayer life, in my reading the word, because the focus, self control purpose, going like, Boy, did I do all I could do with that prayer list? The answer’s no. Right, same. But the whole point of this is not like to promote self righteousness.

You might say, Point the finger right back at us and go, But I need to strive for these crowns. They’re worth striving for. They’re only obtained by being striven for.

Kimberly Faith: That’s a word?

John McLarty: Striven for. Well, Steven We’ll make one of those But words there you know, you’re running a race and that the lady you just mentioned Yeah. Melissa. And I think of runners and swimmers and your track people, they get up early. They work at it.

Yeah. And that’s an example to us

Kimberly Faith: It is.

John McLarty: That we should be that way spiritually.

Kimberly Faith: Well, one of my my good friends, who you’ve met, Darren. Remember Darren who loves your blue eyes? Mhmm. Well

John McLarty: How could I forget Darren?

Kimberly Faith: How could you forget Darren? He made a statement, a profound statement one day, and I’m sure this is not original with him, but he says, you know, Kim, we do what we want. And and and that is so true. There were times in my life when I would work out three times a day, three times a day. And you know what?

That required discipline. And now I don’t the discipline is that’s constantly where the battlefield is following the Lord, surrendering to the Lord every day, every sometimes we do hourly. The fact is we do what we want.

John McLarty: We will do it.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. We will make it.

John McLarty: We’re wanting to lose weight, boost muscles and improve flexibility. And you get a plan and you stick with it. Well, that’s all true spiritually.

Kimberly Faith: That’s a 100% true. And it’s not I appreciate you pointing out because I don’t ever want to come across on this podcast as being self righteous. Anything that I say that sounds like I’m preaching to anybody else is something the Lord is obviously preaching to me. And always want that to sound you know, this podcast to be, hey, we’re all in the same boat. We all have the same struggle.

You know, it’s not

John McLarty: like This to us. That’s why I was pretty excited about digging into these five crowns. It’s like, wow.

Kimberly Faith: Been excited about this. Morning I get up, I’m like, oh my gosh, Lord, you know what? This, I have an opportunity. Don’t wait. Don’t let me waste it today.

Don’t let me waste my life today doing anything that’s not going to matter for eternity.

John McLarty: I mean, here I’ve been saved. I’ve been a Christian for fifty years and I’ve never examined this idea of the crowns, I five neither. It’s very assimilating.

Kimberly Faith: Let’s talk about crown number five.

John McLarty: Let’s do.

Kimberly Faith: Crown of rejoicing. And the first Thessalonians chapter two says, 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. And then Philippians four:one, Therefore, my beloved and long for brethren, my joy and crown.

I love the way you talk about the apostle Paul and how much he loved the people of the And this is so this is so rich because this is expresses Paul’s heart.

John McLarty: He loved the brethren.

Kimberly Faith: He loved them. And he calls them a crown of rejoicing and a crown. People, people are our crowns of rejoicing.

John McLarty: Yeah. He says, therefore my beloved and long before brethren, my joy crown. And again, that’s a challenge to me that our brethren longed for brethren and that relationship Paul had. I mean, just read Acts and all those letters, Really, and we’ve talked about this, really struck me. He loved the bread.

Kimberly Faith: He longed for them.

John McLarty: And he kept up with their personal lives and what’s going on Which is kind of

Kimberly Faith: it’s kind of the crux of discipleship. You know, it’s like your kids, you know, like, you raised a lot of us. I mean, we had or eight of us. And and some of us weren’t such a great shiny crown most of the time. Most of the time, we were doing the things that didn’t make you very proud.

But when we disciple people, like the people that I’ve had the privilege of pouring into their lives, when I see them turn around and lead somebody else to the Lord, lead somebody to the Lord, I mean, there’s no greater joy. When when he says, what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of Jesus Christ is coming? There that’s such a true statement. It’s like, you know, we don’t have any greater joy than we’ll ever experience.

And like that song that was Robinson sings, thank you for giving to the Lord, and he’s in heaven. And people are coming up to him and saying, you don’t remember me, but you were my Sunday school teacher. And I got saved because you took time to give to the Lord.

John McLarty: I think, know, mom’s one of mom’s favorite verses that’s in first John, it’s, I have no greater joy than my children walk in love or walk in Right. With the Lord.

Kimberly Faith: It’s so true.

John McLarty: So That is true.

Kimberly Faith: It’s so true. It’s you know, I mean, again, we don’t have great physical examples, but, you know, you’ve always heard of the like, the the the great sports dynasty, you know, where the son ends up the father was a a sports hero. The son follows in his footsteps, and he has the father, of course, is very proud of his son. Right? Well, that’s not even comparable to what we experience because our soul and our spirit experiences joy.

It’s a level of joy on an eternal spiritual basis that we can’t even and we get to taste it now. That’s what’s so amazing to me about this crown of rejoicing, which is also called a soul winner’s crown.

John McLarty: Right.

Kimberly Faith: Is we get to get in on it now. When one of my kids shares a biblical truth with me just out of the blue, I rejoice in that because, you know, you pray for your children that they’ll follow the Lord. My of course, my kids are way doing way better than I did at their age. But it’s that joy unspeakable, that we get to experience now. But then you think about, if we get to experience it now with such joy, what’s it going to be like when we’re not weighted down by sin?

John McLarty: Right. We talked about the eternal gifts, that joy for those that love disappearing. That kind of ties into that.

Kimberly Faith: Right. Yeah. And I mean, and this is the crazy thing. These crowns like this one especially, it’s for everybody. Everybody can witness.

John McLarty: Exactly.

Kimberly Faith: Everybody can tell their testimony. Everybody can pray. Everyone can disciple. We do disciple. Actually, think about this.

You are discipling. You may be discipling disciples of hell or you may be discipling Right. Disciples of There’s everything you do or don’t do influences. And I’m that’s very convicting to me. From the way you dress to the way you talk to where you go to what you say to what you think, what you watch, what you listen to, what you repeat.

We’re all either making crowns of rejoicing or something far worse. I mean, something worse.

John McLarty: I like to, I think it was the book of Philippians, another book Paul wrote, it’s just the word joy and rejoicing rejoicing is in there so often. So the Lord wants us to have this. It’s not unattainable. He wants to give us this joy and we get that joy by serving Him.

Kimberly Faith: Yeah. He doesn’t make it unattainable, like using that sports dynasty. This kid obviously had to have genetic, the same Jesus’ dad on some level to have the same kind of sports prowess, right? We had to work hard too. But we have the genetics of Christ.

We have everything we need to become superstars. I

John McLarty: think that’s key. We yield to him. Again, it’s not some self righteousness. It’s just letting Christ live through us. And he brings us joy through that.

Kimberly Faith: You say letting God. I love that because on the Gifts of Christmas series and the devotionals that we’re putting out this December, One of the gifts of Christmas that the Lord laid in my heart was letting go. That is such a gift to say, God, I don’t have a clue what I’m supposed to do right now. Oh, good. I’m so glad you you know, I’m so glad you asked.

Let me step in and just do this then. You know? But we think we have to hold on and control and guide and be all up in it. And God’s like, just let it go and let me do it. And all these crowns are like you said, surrender.

Let it go.

John McLarty: Surrender to God.

Kimberly Faith: Give it give it all to him. And, oh, these crowns are just it’s so exciting.

John McLarty: This is exciting. This is awesome.

Kimberly Faith: The best script.

John McLarty: This is worth studying.

Kimberly Faith: This is the the these are some of the best Christmas gifts I think I’ve ever even thought about. And, wow.

John McLarty: This is a great topic.

Kimberly Faith: Thank you, Jesus.

Jacob Paul: You’ve been listening to the truth and love podcast with your hosts, Kimberly Faith and John Mack. To discover more answers to the big questions in life, visit us at gofaithstrong.com.