The 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.
It seems the apostle Paul wrote 2 Timothy near the end of his life. In earlier years he had humbly expressed his great desire and diligent effort to “attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me” (Philippians 3:11-12).
Now, after long years of struggle and perseverance, he knew with assurance that God had a crown of righteousness laid up for him.
Unlike a running race in which there is only one gold medal or crown of victory, runners in the spiritual race can all win the prize if they keep running to the finish line. If we love and look forward to Jesus Christ’s second coming, we will faithfully endure to the end.
For more about Christ’s return and the wonderful Kingdom of God He will bring, see the section about the “Kingdom of God.” For more about the eternal benefits of endurance through our trials, see “Run With Endurance.”
