No one takes your crown

Christ says this to the church in Philadelphia, which had little strength. The word for crown here doesn't mean a royal crown, but a wreath, like the one a winner received at the games. It doesn't say: beware of thieves. It says: hold fast to what you have.

It also says: I am coming soon. That was written almost two thousand years ago, and it doesn't feel soon. To be honest, we don't know what soon means to God. You don't need to conquer anything new. Holding on to what you have is sometimes the whole job.