I was tempted to write a deep thought about the significance of crowns in the Bible, but for some reason another thought seems like it would be more useful for us. Crowns are used to designate someone as being a ruler or, in some cultures, a god. Basically, crowns are used to show that someone is very important.

We don't often see someone wearing a crown these days, sometimes a girl with a tiara. We do many other things though, to make ourselves appear important and to make ourselves stand out. Sometimes we use our clothing style, or lack of (seriously) to get attention. Sometimes we make a public spectacle of how smart we are, or we act like a complete fool publicly so that people will notice us. Sometimes we show off our grades or sports accomplishments. Sometimes we even act very spiritual so that people will think that we're "good" Christians. I think that it is good to be proud when we do something well, but sometimes we get carried away.

Crowns, as they were intended to be used, were placed on a persons head by someone else. Kings received their crown from their fathers for example. Of course throughout history kings have overthrown each other and in a gesture of pride, have crowned themselves.

I think that God's desire for us is that we not attempt to get noticed or to try and look important. I think that this is why Peter (1 Peter 5:6) was led to tell us that we should be humble and let God exalt us when He decides that the time is right. Most of us don't walk around with crowns on our heads, but we should be mindful of our inner desires to be noticed. God desires that we be appreciated and honored, but it is best if He places the honor on us. It means more coming from Him than when we do it ourselves.