This sharing is based on what I recently enjoyed in the Crystallization study of Isaiah(1) – the summer 2010 training, from message 10 entitled, Christ as a Crown of Glory and a Diadem of Beauty for the Reward of the Overcomers; a Foundation, a Tested Stone, and a Precious Cornerstone for the Building of God; and a Supplying, Caring, and Covering King for the Kingdom of God. These questions stayed with me:
What is your boast, your glory, your crown? Is Christ the one thing you pursue and desire to gain more every day? What do you want to accomplish, to be known for, to achieve?
People try to accomplish great things, and actually we human beings want to achieve success, become somebody / something, etc. But in Isaiah 28:5 we see that Christ will be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of His people. This crown of glory does not refer to kingship but to glorification, magnification, exaltation, or boast. What is our boast? Do we boast in our achievements? Do we take pride in our position in the society / a company that we tried so hard to get and now we have? What is your most distinctive feature about you? Is Christ what others see as your most outstanding feature? What is your beauty? What dignifies you and makes you special / outstanding? Is Christ your real royal clothing and appearance?
The women / ladies love to wear some jewelry to beautify themselves. If you’re in the army and you achieve success, you’re being promoted, and you get “stars” and medals, badges. What is your “medal”, your “star”? Is Christ your “jewelry”? Is your degree, your Ph. D., your CEO position – your star? Paul was in prison and had nothing outwardly to glorify him / beautify him, but he was wearing a crown in that dungeon: his crown was Christ Himself! Paul was magnifying Christ even in prison, so that even those of the house of Caesar(the Roman emperor) heard of the Lord and believed into Him(Phil. 1:20). Even while in prison, Paul was magnifying Christ and boasting in Christ.
All our accomplishments and our achievements here on the earth avail to nothing after we die. What will people say about you after you die? Will they remember you because of what you achieved in your human life / social life / family life / work, or will they remember the Christ you enjoyed, digested, assimilated, expressed, and magnified? What would you love to have for your crown? What is it that you consider it makes you beautiful? The Christ we enjoy is the best wrinkle and spot remover(see Eph. 5: Christ is washing the church in the water of the Word, to present her to Himself spotless, glorious), beautifying us and preparing us as Christ’s perfect Bride!
Christ is our Crown of Righteousness: yes, we have Christ as our righteousness, but we want Him to be subjectively worked within us as our subjective righteousness that is lived out of us! We want Christ to be our crown of glory: He is our glory and the only thing/One we boast in, the One we magnify, and in His image we are being transformed every day as we behold Him and reflect Him from glory to glory(2 Cor. 3:18)! And even more, Christ is the crown of life, given to us at the end of our life from the Great Shepherd – if we shepherd the saints according to God, living by the divine life and ministering the divine life to the Lord’s sheep. Yes, we all have Christ as life, and we enjoy Him as life daily, but we want this life to be saturating us until it is being fully expressed in us, manifesting Christ to everyone around us! May our distinctive feature and unique characteristic, even our highest accomplishment while we are here on the earth be Christ Himself!
Lord, make us those who do not seek outward glory and achievements apart from seeking You, glorifying and magnifying You, and expressing You together with the saints You have placed us with! May we gain You more as we pursue You out of a pure heart with those who call on Your name!
A normal believer in Christ 