Daily Devotional for October 22, 2015

James 1:12
God will bless you, if you don’t give up when your faith is being tested. He will reward you with a glorious life, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

I took the children to swim at our community’s Aquatic Center.  The local swim team was practicing in the lanes adjacent to the open pool area where we were swimming.  The children were so impressed.  They knew some of the team members from church, and I encouraged them to “race” in our section of the pool “like the swim team.”  Timothy eagerly said, “Okay, okay…and you be our coach!”

I lined the three children up along one wall of the pool and then backed away some 15 feet into the deeper water.  I would say, “Ready, set, GO!” and have them swim to me. All three children would start out working hard, but about three or four feet into the swim, Zola would stop dead in her tracks and start to try to cry!  “I can’t go!” she would say.  “You’re not trying,” I would tell her.  “Kick your legs and pull with your arms and hands.”  “But I can’t!” she would wail.

Meanwhile, Timothy and Nathan would have happily reached me, both excitedly squealing that “I won!  I won!”  They did not give up.  Even when a sibling moved into their path and blocked them temporarily…they skirted around and kept swimming.

This is what we are being told to do in James 1:12…keep swimming.  Don’t give up when things get tough.  When you get stuck “dead in the water” for a brief moment, don’t just throw up your hands and try to squeeze out a few tears of defeat.  Keep swimming!  Keep trying, and stay faithful. I held out my hands and encouraged Zola to “Come on!  Keep coming to me.  I’m right here.”  And you know what?  That is exactly what God is saying.  “Come on…hang on just a little longer…I am right here with you.” 

This verse says that those who remain faithful and do not quit will be rewarded with “a glorious life.”  And I will agree with you that there are days and circumstances in this earthly life that seem anything but glorious. Some are downright hard and unpleasant – and we want to run screaming into the night and say, “ENOUGH! I am DONE!”  But here’s the thing…God understands this…and He’s not going anywhere.  He can make even the lousiest day or circumstances bearable…He will ultimately deliver us and give us joy and peace again.  And when we learn to remain faithful and trust God even in the worst times, we discover that the rewards increase exponentially - in ways we never ever dreamed.

So keep swimming.  Stay focused on God and trust His promises.  Propel yourself forward toward His outstretched hands.  You can’t begin to imagine how He will bless you…but He surely will.  And in the end, you will also shout, “I won!  I won!” Today is the day…Ready…Set…GO!

©2015 Debbie Robus