“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.” (James 1:12)

Do you love the Lord? If so, it’s “because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). How so? Well, “God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Also, He has “made known unto us the mystery of his will” (Ephesians 1:9). He made sure to send “a preacher” (Romans 10:14) to share the good news: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). So far, so good, but will we have loved him in such a way as to inherit the crown of life?

Here in our text the Lord promises this special reward to those who make it a habit to practically show our love for Him by enduring temptations. It’s easy enough to love Him in the fun times, but will we love Him more than our fleshly desires?

Those dreadful temptations come under three categories: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Each of the three temptations that the serpent offered Eve in the Garden and the three he offered Jesus in the wilderness fits one of these three categories. Eve and then Adam succumbed, whereas Jesus endured. What compelled Christ toward His victory? It was His love for the Father.

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me” (John 14:21). Keeping His commandments means enduring temptations well—and that will lead to the crown of life. BDT