Perseverance Brings a Harvest (Daily Refresh, 2-29-26)

Have you ever started something new, but gave up after a few tries? Maybe you tried to create a new morning routine or a Bible reading habit, only to give up after a few weeks. It can be hard to build enough discipline to start something new—or to change.

It can also be challenging to receive discipline from someone. Maybe you remember being disciplined as a kid by your parent. Or maybe you’ve faced discipline at work for a mistake you made.

In either case, discipline is hard and takes a lot of work.

Scripture says that for those who endure discipline, and persevere, there is a harvest of righteousness and peace waiting for them. However, it doesn’t happen easily and often makes us uncomfortable. We have to be trained through discipline to create godly habits that will then produce righteousness and peace in our lives.

Take some time today to consider: Where can you allow the Holy Spirit to build discipline in your life? What daily habits should you begin working on today? 

Building discipline into your life is worth it—with the results being peace and a desire for righteousness.

My Thoughts

I am thankful that the Lord loves me enough to discipline me. I recall disciplining my children who are now all adults with their own families. Discipline was not a “once and done” thing. It seemed that I was reminding them constantly of the rules and the consequences. Most of the time, I was alone, since my military husband was not at home but regularly deployed. I remember that sometimes I was so tired of the whole routine of disciplining, but I knew that it was training them for life, so I persisted.

I am thankful that the Lord never tires of disciplining me. He doesn’t just throw up His hands and say, “I give up! You are just not going to change!” Instead, He lovingly and consistently disciplines me, prodding me to go in the right direction and showing me when I got off the track and how to get back on it. God’s discipline is not always welcomed by me. I don’t always want to have to repent and apologize, but He wants me to be in a right relationship with Him, so His Spirit keeps prompting me to do the right thing. I don’t think that persevering in our discipline is a challenge or a chore for God as it seemed to me for me at times. His love for us is so great that from that abundance of love, He chooses to discipline us. I remember telling my children that I was disciplining them because I love them. It does my heart good to watch and hear my children tell their children the same thing. Discipline is love in action and it brings a harvest that we don’t even realize at the time.

My word to you today is to persevere. Choose to allow the Lord to discipline you and accept that we are sinners saved by grace. We aren’t perfect but we are a work in progress, and God loves us so much that He wants us to strive to be more like Him.