Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 6, 2023
James 1:2-8
2 My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. 3 After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing. 5 But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score. Wisdom will certainly be given to those who ask. 6 Whoever asks shouldn’t hesitate. They should ask in faith, without doubting. Whoever doubts is like the surf of the sea, tossed and turned by the wind. 7 People like that should never imagine that they will receive anything from the Lord. 8 They are double-minded and unstable in all their ways.
Good Morning. Happy the home when God is There!
Think of a time when you were working toward a goal: To learn a new skill, prepare for a big test, or even an athletic competition. When I was fifty-one years old, I decided that I was going to “compete” in a half-marathon in Virginia Beach. Let me start by saying that participate is probably a better word than compete in my situation. I love to walk, and a friend and I were walking at a Relay for Life fundraiser.
We had several friends that we were honoring and remembering in that event, and we decided that we were going to walk as many laps as we could. So we walked, and we walked, and we walked some more. At the end of the night, we had walked about twelve miles in total.
When a member of our group who was a lifelong runner suggested that we should enter the half-marathon, we laughed and said, “We’re not runners!” He assured us that walking the 13.2 miles was quite acceptable. We decided that night to start training for this race. Our goal was simply to finish the race. Even though we had walked almost that far, we had taken breaks along the way, so we needed to improve our endurance.
I still remember the joy that I felt as we completed each milestone of our training schedule. Slowly we increased our distance and even improved our time as we trained. On Labor Day 2008, we “competed” and finished our race and set our personal best record. Of course, we were far off the pace of the runners, but we met our goal of completing the race.
Our Christian walk is like this as well. We must work to endure the challenges we face. Our training schedule is comprised of reading the Bible, praying, worshiping, and praising God. Just like my summer of training for the race, we will encounter storms along the way. But by the grace of God, we can rejoice with each victory along the way.
Loving God, We love you! We feel uncertain when we face challenges, but You are there to lead us through our storms. Thank you! In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Focusing on God will help me find joy no matter my circumstances
Choose joy in the midst of the storm! Pastor Liz
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