PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Beth and I found ourselves with about 90 minutes of unscheduled time last night and went out for a little Xenia China Inn.  Good dinner. Good conversation. Sadly our dinners become more like government briefings sometimes.  We hadn’t talked for a few days so our dining dialogue was more like a briefer; catching up on all the past week’s events and the coming weeks to do’s.  Despite the updates, it was still nice to spend a minute together.

And as with all of our “authentic” (tongue firmly planted in cheek) Chinese food in America, we were served the “fortune cookie” at the close.

Beth’s said something about her winning personality and charm being able to influence many.  Not too far off.

Mine however said:

“Practice is the best of all instructions”.

I slipped it into my pocket and brought it home.  That is some good truth.

I mean we have all heard that old line from the movies, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.”

Made me think…”How do we get closer to the Lord?  Practice, practice, practice!”

Philippians 4:8-9

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. PUT INTO PRACTICE what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Catch that?

GOD will begin to work our lives into HIS HARMONY when we PRACTICE what has been shown us and taught to us.  GOD will bless our lives when we PRACTICE truth, PRACTICE grace, and PRACTICE good work.

"Practice what we preach".  There is it again!

Practice implies that we are “doing” for the LORD.  That goes so much further than just being good “talkers” and not so good “walkers” doesn’t it?

1 Corinthians 15:58 (NLT)

Always WORK enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

In other words put into PRACTICE those things GOD has inspired you to do.

So lets:

Practice LOVE today.

Practice PEACE today.

Practice PATIENCE today.

Practice DISCIPLINE today.

For as our wonderful fortune cookie philosopher pointed out, to practice is the best of all instruction.

“You are what you practice most.” ― Richard Carlson

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”  ― Aristotle

I love you all.

Freedom Church

 

Pastor GDelaney