Practice These Things
"Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:15-16
Insight
The word "practice" causes people to cringe for plenty of reasons. It stirs up a host of different emotions. For some, this word brings back memories of long days of being yelled at by a coach. For others, practice has left scars after pouring everything into a dream and failing to work out. Regardless of how the word makes us feel, practice doesn't lead to perfection, but it does spur on progress and growth.
No matter the discipline or focus, where we invest our time and energy, the better we will be. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to one of his mentees named Timothy. Timothy walked, learned, and studied under Paul as he did ministry around the world. Paul is encouraging Timothy to keep practicing what he learned, and by practicing, he will save himself and those who listen.
When it comes to following Jesus, our dependence upon Him helps us grow closer to Him and reflect Him to the world around us. God gave us spiritual disciplines to practice every day to get closer to Jesus and reflect Him to the world:
Read the Bible. Every chance you get to read the Bible gives you a glimpse of Jesus. If you want to be someone who reflects Jesus, the most effective way to do so is by seeing Him. Reading the Bible can be intimidating, but a good starting point is reading the "Verse of the day." When you are ready for more practice, read the entire chapter of the verse of the day. As you practice, you will begin to feel a pang of hunger to read the Bible more because you are starting to get a better image of Jesus.
Prayer. Prayer is one of the most available disciplines to practice because we can do it anytime and anywhere. Yet, we rarely make it a habit to pray. You have the chance to talk to God at all times without any condition, so take advantage of that! A good practice to put into place is to set a reminder on your phone to pray. When those reminders go off, whoever is on your mind, or whatever you are doing, take a moment to talk to God about it.
Worship. Worship comes in many shapes and sizes, but we most often view it through music. Choose the avenue you want, but make it a point to worship Jesus. Worship aligns our hearts to remember who Jesus is and how worthy He is of our praise and adoration.
In the words of almost any coach, "You gotta want it!" There are other disciplines you can use to see Jesus more and grow closer to Him. Regardless of the habit, our driving force in practice is our heart. You can want something your whole life, but wanting alone will never get you there. When you practice something, you are putting your desires into action. For those of us who want to grow closer to God, practicing disciplines help us see Him more clearly. We should not practice reading, praying, and worshipping because we have to; we should do it because Jesus allows us to come alongside Him.
Our willingness to practice leads us towards who God made us to be. Right now, we might be people who are broken and flawed, but Jesus is leading us to a future where we will stand before Him whole and perfect (Philippians 1:6). As we step into this journey, let us practice the activities that help us see Jesus and bring others along for the journey with us.
Reflection
Where can you begin with some of these disciplines?
Who can you invite into one of these disciplines with to grow closer to Jesus with you?
Prayer
Father, thank you for giving us actions we can take in life to grow closer to You. As I grow closer to You, the better I am at showing You to a longing world. Help me continue to practice what You have called me to - growing closer to You. Help me stay focused by knowing that You will meet me with grace, even if my practice is not perfect. I love You Father, and pray in Your holy name, Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today's devotional.