Lent 2026:
Enduring Faith
Introduction
The book of James gives us no escape routes. Faith that doesn't show up in our lives isn't faith at all. Love that doesn't get specific isn't love. Wisdom that doesn't reshape how we treat the vulnerable isn't wisdom.
This Lent, we're walking through James together — a letter written to early Christians scattered by persecution, trying to figure out what it meant to follow Jesus when everything was falling apart. James writes to people under pressure, people living under empire, people tempted to survive by compromise. His answer is clear: enduring faith. A resilient faith that trusts God enough to actually live differently, even in the face of trials and suffering.
Over these forty-some days, we'll cycle through James's themes multiple times, letting his words reshape us: trials that grow us, faith that acts, tongues that bless, wisdom from above, humility before God, patience in suffering, prayer that heals. Ours is a faith that has to be lived.
How to use this devotional:
Each day includes Scripture from James, a brief reflection, one concrete practice, and a closing prayer.
The practices are meant to be doable in your actual life—not an ideal one.
Let James’s directness unsettle you. That discomfort is part of the work.
May these forty days shape us into people whose faith shows up.
Day 3: Friday, 2/20
“The sun rises with its scorching heat and dries up the grass so that its flowers fall and its beauty is lost. Just like that, in the midst of their daily lives, the wealthy will waste away.” - James 1:11
Day 2: Thursday 2/19
“But anyone who needs wisdom should ask God, whose very nature is to give to everyone without a second thought, without keeping score.” - James 1:5
Day 1: Wednesday 2/18
“My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy.” - James 1:2