Devotion 29 October 2026

It is the one who has patiently persevered and endured to the end who will be saved. Matthew 10: 22b

READING: Revelation 2: 7-11

We read, in the second book of Revelation, that the crown of life is for the faithful. Oswald Chambers once said, “the test of the life of a saint is not success, but faithfulness”.

Faithfulness has somewhat unexciting, even boring, overtones. We think of a faithful dog, a faithful servant, about doing our duty – is it something that we want to really have as our goal in life? Wouldn’t we rather aim to do something earthshattering for the Lord?

The thing about faithfulness is that it is about putting God, other people and other duties first, before our own needs and desires. It is simply about always acknowledging God’s place in our life, always being there for others, always pitching up, always hanging on, regardless of what is happening in our lives. It’s not about being the leader, being the first one, or being successful. Nor is it about worrying over our defeats or failures. It’s about forgetting self.

Soren Kierengaard, the late Danish philosopher, suggests that we imagine an arrow racing on its course, when suddenly it halts in its flight, perhaps in order to see how far it has come or how high it has soared above the earth or how its speed compares to that of another arrow, or to see and admire the gracefulness with which it flies. At that very moment it will fall to the ground.

So, the philosopher insists, self-preoccupation is always dangerous and self-destructive.

In confirmation, Revelation tells us that forgetfulness of self, or faithfulness, will attain for us the crown of life; also, in James 2:12 we read that the crown of life is for those who endure; in Philippians 3: 13-14 we hear that the crown of life is for those who press on.

How do we get ourselves to that good place? We need to ask God to keep us from all success in life that spells defeat in His service. We need to bring every experience to Him, both our apparent triumphs, and our seeming failures, and ask Him to teach us to understand and receive His verdict upon them. We need to ask for His help to free us from both contentment and disappointment so that we can soar like an arrow, unimpeded, in His power, to do His work.

Prayer

Almighty God, show me, I pray, what I need to see about myself. Remove from me all pride in my achievements, and all disappointment in my failures. Help me to fix my eyes on You, and press on, faithful always to Your call on my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen