January 14, 2021

I Think I Will Practice Later

Sound familiar, if I didn’t say that to an adult, I said it to myself many times over the years. That’s why, although there may not be anyone that enjoys music more than me, I can’t play a lick of guitar and the best you may hear from me on a piano is a one-handed version of Mary Had A Little Lamb. I have heard very accomplished musicians bemoaning the fact that they haven’t been able to practice for a few days and it hurts their performance. In a different arena you may have heard someone as accomplished as Michael Jordan explaining a poor performance on lack of practice. It’s not that my fingers are too short or thick to play the piano or guitar. I have seen a young man that was born with some his fingers missing play a piano and bring listeners to tears with the depth of feeling and skill working on the keyboard.

Are you practicing is not the question, we all are every day, it comes down to what am I practicing? I put the word, “Practice,” into a Bible search engine and found interesting that it appears 102 times in the word or a variant of it, with an ed or s. Most often in the verses I looked at it is used in a negative connotation, meaning we normally do it the wrong way.

Look at Paul’s admission in Romans 7: 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. I can see myself in that verse, can you also? It isn’t difficult for me to do the wrong thing, it comes naturally. No, my problem is the choice of what I’m going to practice and it comes at me every day. Lord help me to practice doing the right thing today this one time and then build on it. My only hope of showing the love of Jesus in this world is to know Jesus and then practice showing that love moment by moment, day by day. When I miss hitting the right note, try again until I get it right by God’s grace.
Phil 4: 8-9 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things. As for the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

When I was writing this devotional, I received a text message with the link below, Tom Jr & Mellissa, thank you. I listened to it and after drying my eyes I asked if I could attach it for you to listen to also. Practice Jesus, He makes perfect.

In Him,
Ron Mathre