The Crown Comes After the Standing

James 1:12. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial, James says, because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life the Lord has promised to those who love him. There are three movements in the sentence. There is the trial, the standing, and the crown, and they come in that order.

We would prefer the crown first. We would settle for the crown in the middle, as a kind of encouragement. James puts it last, after the standing, and he ties it to love. The crown is promised to those who love the Lord, not to those who merely survive. That changes what endurance means. It is not gritting your teeth until the pain stops. It is continuing to love God while the pain goes on.

On a Saturday in the middle of summer, the trial you are in may be old and unremarkable to everyone but you. James says the Lord has seen your standing and has already named what it earns. Keep loving him. The crown is real, and it is coming.