THE 5 CROWNS

In most of man's endeavors,
There are treasures, awards and prizes.
Steps, ladders, goals and levers,
By which he measures how he rises.

There are Oscars for the movies,
And Tony's for the stage.
Grammy's in the music world,
That all serve as gauge.

Pulitzer's for writers,
Nobel's for scientists-
Peace awards for those who rise
By humanists

There are honorary doctorates,
Fellowships and grants.
Coronets and baronets
In England and in France.

World cups and Olympic gold,
Pennants, banners and flags-
All prizes you can hold,
That get your picture in the mags.

But a warehouse full of trophies
And a truckload of awards-
Statues or biographies
And many such rewards.

One day will lose their luster,
Begin to tarnish and rust-
One day even their 'duster'
Will simply return to dust.

What i'm about to say may surprise,
Or even seem a bit abrupt-
But there's another kind of prize,
And a crown that won't corrupt.

Heroes and Heads of State,
May not even make this list-
Wealthy folks with vast estates
May also just be dismissed.

Although works can't earn our salvation,
Once saved, they can earn our rewards-
As we overcome tribulation,
It's the mark that we're pressing towards.

An INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN for temperance,
And for exhibiting self-control-
Bringing the flesh into obedience
Of the spirit, and cleansing the soul.

The CROWN OF LIFE is for bearing your cross,
With faith-it's a daily sacrifice-
Learning to rejoice in the face of loss,
And for knowing God's grace will suffice.

A CROWN OF REJOICING for winning souls,
For personal Evangelism-
For taking part in the Great Commission,
Shining God's love - as if through a prism.

The CROWN OF GLORY for feeding the flock,
With the nourishing word of the Lord
Helping them to plant their feet upon the rock,
And teaching them about His "Sword".

The CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will belong,
To those who love His appearing-
And i'll tell you friend, it won't be long,
It's so clear that the time is nearing.

Decked out in white robes and gowns,
As the heavenly angels sing-
The saints of God will lay their crowns,
At the foot of the throne of our King.

We race, not for some corruptible crown,
And not for the praises of men-
And once won, we'll gladly lay them down,
To hear "Well done...good and faithful friend."

Our hopes are not like other men's,
Once "saved" - our priorities shift-
We look at life through another lens,
And salvations our greatest gift.

In all of our endeavors,
What we seek as he highest prize-
Is to always do whatevers
Seen as best in the Masters eyes.

Our crowns are incorruptible,
And the glory is not our own-
Our treasure is not bankruptible,
For the riches that we have known-

All begin and end,
At the foot of the Master's Throne.

Incorruptible Crown : 1st Cor. 9:25
Crown of Life : James 1:12, Rev. 2:10
Crown of Rejoicing : 1 Thes. 2:19
Crown of Glory : 1 Ptr 5:4
Crown of Righteousness : 2nd Tim. 4:8

Gary Field
DC #M05398
South Bay C.F.
P.O. Box 7171
South Bay, FL 33493