“Practice what you preach.” “Did
you go to football practice today?”
“How many days a week do you practice?”
“I practice Medicine….” “My practice is to read at least one book a
month.”
How
many of you have heard or said any of these common phrases or statements? What
do you practice? We spend our time and sincere effort doing a lot of
things. Practice is an investment of time and effort, so that typically means
that if we practice something, we put value in it. The bible says some
interesting things about what you practice.
I know in 2016 I will be practicing following and obeying the promptings
of the Holy Spirit. I will be practicing
using my gifts, skills and abilities that God has given me to His glory. I will be practicing at spending time with
God in His word and in prayer. These are
the things that will bring joy. These
things will bring me peace. These habits
that I will practice will help me operate in the kingdom of God so His will
will be done and His kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven.
So
what will you practice in 2016?
1
John 16 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in
darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
1
John 37 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices
righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
The
bible is full of God’s people practicing other things that only brought them destruction
and strained their relationship with God.
We even see in Psalm 141 David praying for God to help him not practice
evil…
Psalm
1414 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works
With men who work iniquity…
It
is my hope for you and I that we practice love, first of all loving God by
worshiping and obeying Him, and second by loving one another.
1
John 316 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.
And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But
whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his
heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little
children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19
And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts
before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our
heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not
condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we
receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are
pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we
should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He
gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in
Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit
whom He has given us.
Here’s to purposeful practice in 2016!
