How to stand tall like a pineapple in your faith

“Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

— James 1:12

While working on this devotional from James 1:12, my mind kept thinking about pineapples and that the top part is called "the crown". I discovered a lot of things that I didn’t know about a pineapple.

Pineapples do not grow on trees
Pineapples grow from a perennial plant that looks a lot like the “crown” of a pineapple. These plants can grow up to 3 – 4 feet tall
Pineapples develop from approximately 200 flowers that join together as a cone shape fruit
It takes an average of 16 to 24 months to grow one pineapple
Pineapples do not have seeds
If you want to plant a pineapple, you have to remove the “crown”, let this dry a few days and then place it in soil.
Pineapple is a symbol of hospitality

Although, James doesn't talk about pineapples in this scripture, he does talk about the "crown of life". Have you ever heard someone say "she's going to have a lot of jewels in her crown when she gets to heaven"! That's what the "crown of life" is....a special reward for those who 'remain steadfast, persevere through temptation, trials and persecution.

Wear A Crown - We need to wear a "crown of life" everyday and stay strong during the trials that come into our lives. We must persevere and ask the Lord to help us in time of need. Sometimes, He might not give us the answers that we want. But He will give us the answers that we need!

Remember that Jesus gave His life so that we can be called children of the King. Also, we need to use our 'crown of life" to plant our message into others. That's the only way that they can learn about the goodness of the God you serve.

Be Sweet On The Inside - Just like a pineapple, our exterior can be a little rough from the trials, temptations and maybe ridicule that we have endured...but on the inside we are to be as sweet as a pineapple.

So remember we have all been promised the 'crown of life'. The only thing that we have to do is to:

Stand Tall during the temptations because people are watching…

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

— 1 Corinthians 10:13