I've been meditating on this verse for a couple of days now. For me, it gives me the encouragement to hang on when the going gets rough because in the end the Lord will reward me with eternal life. But I especially like the way it states it in THE MESSAGE: for such persons loyally in love with God. It is only in reading this in the other biblical versions that I understand that to mean only persons willing to be obedient. So clearly obedience is a form of showing our love. I also reflected on how we are called to obey the Lord especially when we are being tested. Because it is during these testings that it becomes easier to give in than to fight for what we believe. It is tempting to make life easier here on earth by giving in to temptation rather than standing strong in our faith and win the crown of victory.
An example of this that comes to mind is in my own life, I was living with a very limited and fixed income. The amount of the income was severely below the poverty level. Yet, I lived in my own apartment, had my own vehicle, and was able to meet my needs. In the month's when the electric bill was higher than normal, I was tempted to use my tithe money to pay the additional amount. Instead I would give my tithe in love and without hesitation. The joy and happiness of obeying the word of my faith was a blessing of it's own. But God never forgot me.
Above are some pictures I've taken in one of many of the beautiful places I've been able to visit. I believe I was faithful and obedient. I am still longing for the victor's crown of life, but for now God is restoring all that I handed Satan in times when I chose a life of disobedience.
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