Gracious Father, you teach discipline and the right ways to follow. You call us to repentance. You call us to follow your ways. You teach a narrow way, and tell us to turn neither to the right nor to the left. Let us face the challenge in our daily living. Let us live righteously. Let us produce the fruit of the Spirit and walk the narrow path for your glory and honor. You chasten those you love. Discipline is hard, and can hurt, but it leads to the peaceful fruit of righteousness when we allow ourselves to be trained by it. Give us the rhythm of your stride. Give us the time clock of our days for rising, working, playing, praying and honoring your name. Keep us steadfast in that pattern and energized by its simplicity and beauty. Forgive our turning heads. Forgive us when we take our eyes of the prize of Jesus. Forgive our wandering feet. Bring us back to you. I ask these things in the name and authority of Jesus, according to your good and perfect will. Amen.
“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11 ESV)