Everlasting Crown

About a week ago Dennis Jernigan came and led worship at our church and I was able to help lead worship along with the rest of the praise team and choir.  It was such a cool experience, and as he speaks, powerful verses flow from his lips.

After singing Dennis shared his testimony, which means how he came to know Christ and come into relationship with Him. His story was powerful, but what stuck out to me the most was at the end when he showed a picture of his family and stated "Satan wanted to rob me of this." Because of the sin in his life and the path he was on, he never would have met his wife and had his nine children.

I hadn't really thought about sin like that before. Recently a friends said, if we really understood sin the way God does, we wouldn't do it so easily or excuse it as being ok.  It can be so easy for me to excuse away my sin and say things like, "Well, at least I'm not as bad as (fill in the blank)." But the reality is, it's our sin that originally separated us from God, and it's only through Christ that those sins (all of them) are forgiven and forgotten.

It made me start thinking about what future Satan wants to rob from me. When I'm self-centered and only thinking of myself I miss out on the blessings God has for me and I miss the opportunity to bless other people too. I am forgiven by the blood of Christ, but I still have to chose to make God a priority each day or Satan can easily get a foothold in my life. I can't lose my salvation, but I can miss out on blessings.

My life here on earth is only a moment in comparison to eternity, so I want to be using it to glorify God and to help others. I don't want to let Satan rob me of the life God has planned for me.

Paul states in 1 Corinthians 9: 24-25 "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 

Our life here on earth isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. It takes training, practice, and tips from others who are also "training" on how to best compete the race. Like Paul states, our prize is an eternal crown; Satan shouldn't have the power to rob us of that. Let's work each day to train for that eternal crown, which is so much better than anything Satan has to offer.

I just got my second Rocksbox and love the pieces they sent.  I asked for the bib necklace again, because I wanted a bit more time to decide if I wanted to keep it, and am planning to this time around.  They also sent a really pretty dainty necklace and fun bracelet. It has a magnetic clasp, which I love!

If you're not familiar with Rocksbox it's a fun monthly jewelry service.  It normally cost $19 a month, but you get a $10 credit towards any purchases. You can also send the box back and forth as many times as you want each month. I'm really loving getting to try it out and you can too for free. Just go to Rocksbox and use code "newfavoriteoutfitxoxo" at checkout.

I really love this necklace. It's $40, which I feel is fair and I don't have anything else like it.

This bracelet is really fun too. I love how edgy it is and also love the magnetic clasp. It's retails for $50. 

Blazer: Loft similar

Top: Loftsimilar

Skirt: Loft similar

Necklaces and Bracelet: c/o Rocksbox 

Heels: Audrey Brooke similar

Here's one way I've worn the bib necklace, which I'm keeping for sure. It retails for $80, which is on the higher side for Rockbox, but definitely fair for the quality. 

Here's another way I've styled the second necklace and bracelet. I'm still deciding if I'll keep them, but I really do love how different they are from anything else I have.  Have you tried Rocksbox yet? Remember, try it free for a month by signing up using code "newfavoriteoutfitxoxo" at checkout.

Linking up with:

What I Wore Wednesday

Random Wednesday