When the Excitement Fades, What Keeps You Going? | James 1:12

Devotional

“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 was a letter written by Jesus’ half-brother, James, who rose to prominence as the leader of the original Jewish-Christian church in Jerusalem after Peter moved on to begin new churches.

James grew up with Jesus and was heavily influenced by his Sermon on the Mount. He was also influenced by Proverbs, so his letter is often metaphorical and easy to memorize.

Chapter 1 is filled with memorable verses that introduce many of the themes found throughout the rest of the book.

My personal favorite for this chapter is James 1:2, the opener:

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,”

I chose this book because we just finished our 5-week strength training plan. As we move into our next program, we will be introducing conditioning circuits. This will be challenging, and it’s something that will require a strong mind.

Strength is often measured in a single moment, but endurance is revealed over time. Anyone can push hard for a day, a week, or even a month. The challenge is remaining faithful when the excitement fades and the work becomes difficult.

There will be many times where you will be tempted to quit; I experienced that this morning with the first conditioning circuit.

James reminds us that there is blessing in steadfastness. As we move into something that will be difficult, trust that the Lord crowns those who remain steadfast through the test.

Growth happens when we continue moving forward despite discomfort, trusting that God is using every challenge to shape us into who He created us to be.

Workout

With our 5-week strength program behind us, we’re shifting our focus toward overall fitness and conditioning.

Our weekly training schedule for this program will be:

Day 1: Conditioning Circuit

Day 2: Push

Day 3: Pull

Day 4: Legs

The remaining three days will be dedicated to mobility work and active recovery.

Today’s Conditioning Circuit:

Pull-up: 8 reps

Dips: 12 reps

Kettlebell Swings: 25 reps

Kettlebell Goblet Squats: 15 reps

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes (AMRAP).