November 26, 2008

• Practice

  “Practice?” The coach had challenged his star basketball player about the importance of practice. Before the media, the player argued that practice really wasn’t so important. “We’re sitting here talking about practice, not a game…How silly is that?”

  Many people share this attitude toward practice in sports, work, and other areas of life.

  In her recent book about teaching piano lessons, Tricia Tunstall observes that many students feel that practice is boring and unnecessary. But she tries to help them understand that, without it, they cannot succeed. Through the process of repetition, bad habits are identified and corrected, so that correct habits can be formed.

  But, Tunstall explains, practice doesn’t just mean playing notes, but playing the right notes, in the right way. “‘Play it in slow motion,’ I will say about a problematic phrase.” Then her students play it slowly…until it’s “perfect.”

  These same principles apply in our Christian lives. We all are prone to develop habits or patterns of behavior-repeating certain words and phrases, reacting to temptations and situations in certain ways.

  Paul reminded the Philippians of “the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me.” We may know what to do, but we need to “practice these things.” We must recognize wrong patterns and reshape our actions and attitudes toward the right behavior, applying Biblical truths and doing the right things…over and over again.

  Today, remember the importance of practice in spiritual things. Paul promised that, if you practice doing the right things, “the God of peace will be with you.” You’ll have great peace in knowing He’s with you and you’re in the center of His will.

  • 6:42 am
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