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Month 4 - Endurance | Week 4: Fruitful Endurance
Month 4 - Endurance | Week 4: Fruitful Endurance
Anchor Scriptures For M4 | W4
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
- Galatians 6:9
The journey of Endurance is not only about what we give to God. We also get to talk about what God graciously gives back to us along the way.
So much of the Christian life is framed in terms of faithfulness, obedience, and perseverance - and rightly so. But Scripture also invites us to notice and recognize something tender and deeply sustaining:
God doesn’t ask us to endure without allowing us to enjoy some of the fruit of His work, in and through us, along the way.
Endurance has a promise.And often, God, as the loving father he is, lets us taste that promise before the journey is even finished.
This month, we have wrestled with trials, weakness, and the long road of faithfulness. We have learned that endurance forms us and that God meets us where strength runs out. Scripture this week is continuing to shift our gaze forward - not just to the finish line, but to the life that begins to grow along the path.
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”- Galatians 6:9
This is not a call to grind for grinding's sake.It is an invitation to trust that God is already at work, and to recognize, receive, and even enjoy the fruit that faithful endurance produces in and through you as you proceed.
What a shame it would be to finally reach the presence of the Father one day, and turn around and see all the things you could have enjoyed, that would have powered you through, that would have elevated you above the circumstances, that may have produced more fruit if you had the mind to see it in the moment, that may have made that yoke lighter.
This week, we explore fruitful service not only as a delayed reward or spiritual transaction, but as present evidence of God’s grace at work in and through us. Small obediences, quiet acts of service, and unseen faithfulness begin to bear fruit that strengthens us, gladdens us, and reminds us that our labor in the Lord is never wasted.
Endurance continues - but now with joy.
The Lost Field of Endurance
Between sowing and reaping lies the field of endurance.
One of the quiet dangers in prolonged seasons of endurance is eventually thinking and slipping into the lie that your faithfulness is unnoticed, disappearing into the ground unseen, like yourself, that your obedience somehow is just evaporating without effect. Long seasons, long waits, and long endurance are incredible teachers of faith.
Scripture directly confronts it.
Paul doesn’t say, “you might reap.”He says, “you will reap.”
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”- Galatians 6:9
But Paul also names and recognizes the tension here: there is a due season.
Between sowing and reaping lies the field of endurance.
Scripture consistently affirms that God works in these unseen intervals. That God is always at work, present and actively engaged.
Isaiah reminds us that God’s word never returns empty (Isaiah 55:10–11).
The psalmist declares that those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy (Psalm 126:5–6).
And Jesus Himself assures us that the Father who sees in secret will reward openly (Matthew 6:4).
Endurance, then, is not waiting in vain, it is waiting in strength with God.
Augustine of Hippo reflected on this hiddenness when he wrote that God is often at work “where we cannot yet see the fruit, but where faith itself is already being enlarged.” For Augustine, delay was not denial; it was formation. And if we are honest, if faith itself is being enlarged, then that is fruit worthy of celebration in itself.
And it is often here - long before the harvest - that God allows us to see early signs of fruit:
A softened heart where hardness once lived
A quiet obedience that strengthens resolve
A small act of service that brings life to another
A renewed awareness that God is present and active
These moments are not distractions from endurance.They are God’s mercy within it. God’s work and the fruit of this race present here and now.
Fruitful Service Grows From Faithful Presence
Fruitful service is rarely loud.It rarely arrives with worldly recognition.
So we must switch our calibration on fruit, adapt and grow our perception into God’s garden, so that we can see what he calls fruit, what flourish he enjoys. Most often, it looks like:
Showing up again without applause - That is fruit.
Obeying when the work feels small - That is fruit.
Loving people without immediate return - That is fruit.
Continuing to serve when strength feels thin - That is fruit.
The unregenerated heart is incapable of these, if you are experiencing these along the way - What a Victory! Praise be to God for the work he has done in your life that you now get to observe and celebrate with him! That Abiding in him has shown such fruit in your life.
Jesus taught repeatedly that fruit doesn’t come from striving, but from abiding.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself… neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”- John 15:4
Endurance keeps us rooted.
Service becomes the overflow.
Fruit is then inevitable.
John Chrysostom observed that God often hides the visible reward of obedience so that love itself might remain pure. I would put forward that what is hidden is really hidden from the world, not from us. The world, the flesh, they can’t apprehend it, they cannot perceive the value of the fruit when it doesn’t taste like the world. It is hidden from them. Thus, when service and our endurance are stripped of worldly recognition, what remains is devotion. Beautiful, pure, love and devotion.
When we remain with Christ, not rushing ahead, not lagging behind, but in step, in stride, we discover that God uses even our weakest offerings. What feels ordinary becomes formative. What feels unseen becomes sustaining.
Fruit does not prove our importance.It reveals God’s faithfulness.
Why God Lets Us See Fruit Along the Way
God doesn’t always show us fruit, but when He does, it is a gift.
Scripture suggests this is an act of grace and kindness. Hebrews tells us that God encourages endurance by reminding us of what He has already done among us (Hebrews 10:32–36). Paul speaks of rejoicing not only in future glory, but in present evidence of grace at work (Philippians 1:6).
A glimpse of fruit along the path:
Reassures us that obedience matters
Rekindles love when weariness sets in
Reorients us from outcomes back to faithfulness
Strengthens our resolve to keep walking
Benedict of Nursia shaped an entire spiritual tradition around this rhythm. His Rule teaches that faithfulness in small, repeated acts - prayer, labor, presence - gradually forms joy, stability, and peace. The fruit appears quietly, almost imperceptibly, but it is real.
These moments steady us.They remind us that endurance is not empty waiting; it is participation in God’s work.
The fruit along the road becomes fuel necessary for the road ahead.
Holding Both Hope and Trust
I don’t want you to get me wrong here, fruitful service doesn’t always mean constant visible results. We should be mature enough to recognize that.
There will still be seasons of silence.There will still be days when the soil feels hard.
Jesus Himself taught that some seed falls on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil, and that the sower continues faithfully regardless (Mark 4:1–20). Perhaps then it is us, our hard soil, perhaps our perceptions, perhaps our blindness in the moment, and that the Father actually does continue to sow amidst us, continuously, even when we are too deep staring at our feet, or too far staring into the future of our path, to recognize it and its fruit in the moment.
I do not believe that the Father has left you, I do not believe that he has stopped sowing seeds around and ahead of you, I do believe that the weight and sacrifice you are sustaining could be immense, that the only option may seem to be to focus on the end goal, but that view of it is getting fainter, I do believe however, that even if you are not seeing it, your Father has blessed you, has produced fruit behind, ahead and now, and that is good news brothers and sisters.
Our endurance then shouldn’t collapse when fruit feels hidden.It must learn to trust the Gardener.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”- 1 Corinthians 15:58
Faithfulness remains our calling.Fruit remains God’s work.
Invitation for the Week
As we close this month, take time to reflect slowly and honestly:
Where have you seen even small signs of fruit during this season of endurance?
What quiet acts of service have strengthened you more than you expected?
Where might God be inviting you to notice, not rush past, the life and fruit He is already producing?
Don’t despise small harvests.Don’t dismiss early fruit.
They are signs that God is near, and that He is not finished.
Watch / Listen / Read
Read
From the Early Church
Confessions – Augustine of Hippo
Date written: circa 400 CEAugustine reflects on delayed fruit and hidden formation, showing how God often works beneath the surface long before change becomes visible. A timeless companion that I pray will support you for seasons to come when endurance feels quiet and slow.
The Rule of St. Benedict - LINK
Date Written: c. 530 CEA profound witness to fruitful service through small, repeated acts of obedience. Benedict’s vision of stability and faithfulness reinforces that fruit grows through presence, not prominence.
Homilies on Matthew - LINK
Date written: circa 390 CE
Chrysostom consistently emphasizes that unseen obedience refines love and purifies motive. His preaching offers clarity on why God often withholds immediate reward.
The Way of Perfection - St. Teresa of ÁvilaA demanding but clarifying guide to endurance through obedience, humility, and disciplined prayer. - LINK to free read
Sneak Peek at Month 5 | Spiritual Disciplines - Week 1: The Lifeline of Prayer
After a month of learning to endure, through trials, weakness, and fruitful service, we now turn to the disciplines that quietly and powerfully support to sustain the Christian life. Not as religious habits. Not as spiritual achievements. But as daily dependence.
Prayer is not meant to be occasional.It is meant to be continual.
“Pray without ceasing.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Not a call to constant words, but to constant communion.
Scripture presents prayer as the atmosphere of a faithful life. Jesus taught His disciples “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1), directly linking prayer to endurance. When prayer fades, weariness follows. When prayer is restored, strength returns.
Next week, we begin Month 5 by returning to this foundation: prayer as lifeline, not ritual. We’ll explore why prayer is not about convincing God to act, but about remaining connected to Him who already is. Why prayer sustains love, sharpens discernment, and keeps the heart soft when the road is long.
Endurance carried us this far.Prayer is how we keep breathing.
God is with us!
Father,Thank You that endurance is not empty, and obedience is never wasted. Teach us to serve faithfully, not from striving or fear, but from trust and love. Give us eyes to see the fruit You are growing, hearts that receive it with gratitude, and strength to continue when the way is long. Help us to endure with joy, to serve with humility, and to trust You fully with the harvest.Amen.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!
Grace and peace,
Sam Johnston
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christfocused.substack.com
View all episodes
By Christ Focused NetworkMonth 4 - Endurance | Week 4: Fruitful Endurance
Anchor Scriptures For M4 | W4
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
- Galatians 6:9
The journey of Endurance is not only about what we give to God. We also get to talk about what God graciously gives back to us along the way.
So much of the Christian life is framed in terms of faithfulness, obedience, and perseverance - and rightly so. But Scripture also invites us to notice and recognize something tender and deeply sustaining:
God doesn’t ask us to endure without allowing us to enjoy some of the fruit of His work, in and through us, along the way.
Endurance has a promise.And often, God, as the loving father he is, lets us taste that promise before the journey is even finished.
This month, we have wrestled with trials, weakness, and the long road of faithfulness. We have learned that endurance forms us and that God meets us where strength runs out. Scripture this week is continuing to shift our gaze forward - not just to the finish line, but to the life that begins to grow along the path.
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”- Galatians 6:9
This is not a call to grind for grinding's sake.It is an invitation to trust that God is already at work, and to recognize, receive, and even enjoy the fruit that faithful endurance produces in and through you as you proceed.
What a shame it would be to finally reach the presence of the Father one day, and turn around and see all the things you could have enjoyed, that would have powered you through, that would have elevated you above the circumstances, that may have produced more fruit if you had the mind to see it in the moment, that may have made that yoke lighter.
This week, we explore fruitful service not only as a delayed reward or spiritual transaction, but as present evidence of God’s grace at work in and through us. Small obediences, quiet acts of service, and unseen faithfulness begin to bear fruit that strengthens us, gladdens us, and reminds us that our labor in the Lord is never wasted.
Endurance continues - but now with joy.
The Lost Field of Endurance
Between sowing and reaping lies the field of endurance.
One of the quiet dangers in prolonged seasons of endurance is eventually thinking and slipping into the lie that your faithfulness is unnoticed, disappearing into the ground unseen, like yourself, that your obedience somehow is just evaporating without effect. Long seasons, long waits, and long endurance are incredible teachers of faith.
Scripture directly confronts it.
Paul doesn’t say, “you might reap.”He says, “you will reap.”
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”- Galatians 6:9
But Paul also names and recognizes the tension here: there is a due season.
Between sowing and reaping lies the field of endurance.
Scripture consistently affirms that God works in these unseen intervals. That God is always at work, present and actively engaged.
Isaiah reminds us that God’s word never returns empty (Isaiah 55:10–11).
The psalmist declares that those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy (Psalm 126:5–6).
And Jesus Himself assures us that the Father who sees in secret will reward openly (Matthew 6:4).
Endurance, then, is not waiting in vain, it is waiting in strength with God.
Augustine of Hippo reflected on this hiddenness when he wrote that God is often at work “where we cannot yet see the fruit, but where faith itself is already being enlarged.” For Augustine, delay was not denial; it was formation. And if we are honest, if faith itself is being enlarged, then that is fruit worthy of celebration in itself.
And it is often here - long before the harvest - that God allows us to see early signs of fruit:
A softened heart where hardness once lived
A quiet obedience that strengthens resolve
A small act of service that brings life to another
A renewed awareness that God is present and active
These moments are not distractions from endurance.They are God’s mercy within it. God’s work and the fruit of this race present here and now.
Fruitful Service Grows From Faithful Presence
Fruitful service is rarely loud.It rarely arrives with worldly recognition.
So we must switch our calibration on fruit, adapt and grow our perception into God’s garden, so that we can see what he calls fruit, what flourish he enjoys. Most often, it looks like:
Showing up again without applause - That is fruit.
Obeying when the work feels small - That is fruit.
Loving people without immediate return - That is fruit.
Continuing to serve when strength feels thin - That is fruit.
The unregenerated heart is incapable of these, if you are experiencing these along the way - What a Victory! Praise be to God for the work he has done in your life that you now get to observe and celebrate with him! That Abiding in him has shown such fruit in your life.
Jesus taught repeatedly that fruit doesn’t come from striving, but from abiding.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself… neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”- John 15:4
Endurance keeps us rooted.
Service becomes the overflow.
Fruit is then inevitable.
John Chrysostom observed that God often hides the visible reward of obedience so that love itself might remain pure. I would put forward that what is hidden is really hidden from the world, not from us. The world, the flesh, they can’t apprehend it, they cannot perceive the value of the fruit when it doesn’t taste like the world. It is hidden from them. Thus, when service and our endurance are stripped of worldly recognition, what remains is devotion. Beautiful, pure, love and devotion.
When we remain with Christ, not rushing ahead, not lagging behind, but in step, in stride, we discover that God uses even our weakest offerings. What feels ordinary becomes formative. What feels unseen becomes sustaining.
Fruit does not prove our importance.It reveals God’s faithfulness.
Why God Lets Us See Fruit Along the Way
God doesn’t always show us fruit, but when He does, it is a gift.
Scripture suggests this is an act of grace and kindness. Hebrews tells us that God encourages endurance by reminding us of what He has already done among us (Hebrews 10:32–36). Paul speaks of rejoicing not only in future glory, but in present evidence of grace at work (Philippians 1:6).
A glimpse of fruit along the path:
Reassures us that obedience matters
Rekindles love when weariness sets in
Reorients us from outcomes back to faithfulness
Strengthens our resolve to keep walking
Benedict of Nursia shaped an entire spiritual tradition around this rhythm. His Rule teaches that faithfulness in small, repeated acts - prayer, labor, presence - gradually forms joy, stability, and peace. The fruit appears quietly, almost imperceptibly, but it is real.
These moments steady us.They remind us that endurance is not empty waiting; it is participation in God’s work.
The fruit along the road becomes fuel necessary for the road ahead.
Holding Both Hope and Trust
I don’t want you to get me wrong here, fruitful service doesn’t always mean constant visible results. We should be mature enough to recognize that.
There will still be seasons of silence.There will still be days when the soil feels hard.
Jesus Himself taught that some seed falls on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil, and that the sower continues faithfully regardless (Mark 4:1–20). Perhaps then it is us, our hard soil, perhaps our perceptions, perhaps our blindness in the moment, and that the Father actually does continue to sow amidst us, continuously, even when we are too deep staring at our feet, or too far staring into the future of our path, to recognize it and its fruit in the moment.
I do not believe that the Father has left you, I do not believe that he has stopped sowing seeds around and ahead of you, I do believe that the weight and sacrifice you are sustaining could be immense, that the only option may seem to be to focus on the end goal, but that view of it is getting fainter, I do believe however, that even if you are not seeing it, your Father has blessed you, has produced fruit behind, ahead and now, and that is good news brothers and sisters.
Our endurance then shouldn’t collapse when fruit feels hidden.It must learn to trust the Gardener.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”- 1 Corinthians 15:58
Faithfulness remains our calling.Fruit remains God’s work.
Invitation for the Week
As we close this month, take time to reflect slowly and honestly:
Where have you seen even small signs of fruit during this season of endurance?
What quiet acts of service have strengthened you more than you expected?
Where might God be inviting you to notice, not rush past, the life and fruit He is already producing?
Don’t despise small harvests.Don’t dismiss early fruit.
They are signs that God is near, and that He is not finished.
Watch / Listen / Read
Read
From the Early Church
Confessions – Augustine of Hippo
Date written: circa 400 CEAugustine reflects on delayed fruit and hidden formation, showing how God often works beneath the surface long before change becomes visible. A timeless companion that I pray will support you for seasons to come when endurance feels quiet and slow.
The Rule of St. Benedict - LINK
Date Written: c. 530 CEA profound witness to fruitful service through small, repeated acts of obedience. Benedict’s vision of stability and faithfulness reinforces that fruit grows through presence, not prominence.
Homilies on Matthew - LINK
Date written: circa 390 CE
Chrysostom consistently emphasizes that unseen obedience refines love and purifies motive. His preaching offers clarity on why God often withholds immediate reward.
The Way of Perfection - St. Teresa of ÁvilaA demanding but clarifying guide to endurance through obedience, humility, and disciplined prayer. - LINK to free read
Sneak Peek at Month 5 | Spiritual Disciplines - Week 1: The Lifeline of Prayer
After a month of learning to endure, through trials, weakness, and fruitful service, we now turn to the disciplines that quietly and powerfully support to sustain the Christian life. Not as religious habits. Not as spiritual achievements. But as daily dependence.
Prayer is not meant to be occasional.It is meant to be continual.
“Pray without ceasing.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Not a call to constant words, but to constant communion.
Scripture presents prayer as the atmosphere of a faithful life. Jesus taught His disciples “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1), directly linking prayer to endurance. When prayer fades, weariness follows. When prayer is restored, strength returns.
Next week, we begin Month 5 by returning to this foundation: prayer as lifeline, not ritual. We’ll explore why prayer is not about convincing God to act, but about remaining connected to Him who already is. Why prayer sustains love, sharpens discernment, and keeps the heart soft when the road is long.
Endurance carried us this far.Prayer is how we keep breathing.
God is with us!
Father,Thank You that endurance is not empty, and obedience is never wasted. Teach us to serve faithfully, not from striving or fear, but from trust and love. Give us eyes to see the fruit You are growing, hearts that receive it with gratitude, and strength to continue when the way is long. Help us to endure with joy, to serve with humility, and to trust You fully with the harvest.Amen.
I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s run the race - Eyes Up, Chin Up!
Grace and peace,
Sam Johnston
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit christfocused.substack.com