It’s Monday, December 15, 2025. Today, we turn our attention to the small epistle of James, the half-brother of Jesus. James knew about perseverance. He stayed faithful to the very end, even when it cost him everything. According to history, James was martyred after being thrown forty feet from the temple’s upper balcony. He didn’t quit. He outlasted. That raises a question: How much outlasting power do I have? Will I be approved? Read on …
Today's Reading:
James 1,2,3,4,5
Scripture
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)
Observation
The New Testament mentions five distinct crowns, and none of them are symbols of status. They are symbols of stewardship. In our world, someone might say a successful entrepreneur was “crowned with success” early in life. But James reframes success entirely. He tells us the crown of life is not something you earn—it’s something you live out over time. The word “approved” comes from the Greek meaning “to pass the test.” Not avoid it. Not shortcut it.
Pass it.
Application
Legacy isn’t what you do at the end of your life; legacy is what you practice every day. I like to call these people “Outlasters.” These are men and women who endure disappointments, wounds, awkward failures, and seasons when their faith is stretched thin—but they don’t walk away.
Our faith will be tested—by people close to us, by setbacks we didn’t expect, by health challenges, or by discouragement that creeps in quietly. Think of these trials like college exams. What if a student decided that a test was unfair and walked out of the classroom? That student just flunked. And like college students, we will be approved by how we take the tests.
God’s promise isn’t that there will be no storms. He promises victory if we stick with it. The test is not necessarily to remove the storm. It is to persevere through it with faith. God’s goal is not to remove the storm.
Instead, He makes us unsinkable!
Prayer
Father, You know the storms I face—and the ones still ahead. Help me to ride them out with faith and gratitude. Teach me not to blame the weatherman, but to trust the One who made me unsinkable. May I be an Outlaster and, like James, faithful to the end.
–Wayne Cordeiro
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