We hope you enjoy this re-post from December 11, 2014. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… – Matthew 6:20, KJV

When Christ admonished us to lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven, to what “treasures” was He referring? One such treasure is the crown of life, awarded to those who are faithful to Christ even in the face of temptation and persecution.

James 1:12 (KJV) states, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” Revelation 2:10 (KJV) reads, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

Have you ever felt like giving up on God and trying the things that seem to work in this life for the lost? If you have, you’re not alone. Asaph, in Psalm 73, was pretty much ready to throw his faith out the window. Tired of seeing the lost prosper and the righteous suffer, Asaph was ready to give up on God. But then he remembered what kind of eternal end the unrighteous faced, and he remembered the crown of eternal life that the persevering righteous will receive.

It is very hard to take our eyes off of our present struggles and focus them on the heavenly prizes that await the faithful. Yet this is exactly what we must do in order to earn the crown of life that God wants to give us. Of course, as with everything holy, we cannot earn God’s rewards apart from Him enabling us to do so. As Philippians 2:13 (AMP) states:

[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.

Therefore, just as we need Christ to give us our salvation, we need Him to give us the power to be faithful to Him. The only things we have to do are: 1) ask Him to provide the will and the power to be faithful, and 2) accept His will and power when He hands them over. Isn’t this exactly what we did when we were saved? Ask and accept? Yes, and we must do the same each and every day if we wish to live the victorious Christian life.