Our latest video-devotional:
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Recently, my little daughter, Everlynn, and I went up to Camp Barakel for their Father-Daughter Retreat, in which I was invited to preach. Among the beautiful forests and hills, we had the joy of engaging in all kinds of fun activities together: a zip-line, a giant 100’ slide, hiking, riflery, archery, and much more.
Everlynn and I have these target sheets from our one attempt at the rifles. I shot a .22 and she gave her best try at the BB gun.
As you can see, we weren’t too swift and savvy. The Marine Corps isn’t chomping at the bit to give us the marksman classification.
But of all the activities, Everlynn most enjoyed archery. Unlike riflery (which we gave just one attempt), Everlynn kept saying with a bright sparkle in her eyes, “Daddy, let’s go do archery again!” Three and four times we returned to let those arrows fly through the wind. With rapid progress, she became better and more at ease with each visit.
On our first try, should could barely get the arrows set on the string and they were flying all around the target and up into the trees. But after our third attempt at the range, she was landing those arrows into the target every time. Whap!
Progress!
Spiritual growth – progress forward as a Jesus-follower – doesn’t happen by a passive drip-process of reverse osmosis.
Justification and sanctification are by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But this does not mean we lean back, do nothing, perhaps take one stab at following Jesus, and then rest back on our laurels. Not at all. Through the life of Christ living inside us, God gives us the Holy Spirit’s power to practice.
God-guided practice produces holy sweat by the Holy Spirit.
Paul wrote to Christ-followers in Philippi:
“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.” (Philippians 4:9)
Hear the cadence in the command to practice: “learned…received…heard…seen.” God has given us a guide for practice, a method of Spirit-empowered growth. Glancing back at the context of this command, we discover that practicing our focus on whatever is “true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good reputation, and worthy of praise” leads us into this peace (see Phil. 4:8).
Practice leads into Peace.
To the young pastor Timothy, the apostle wrote:
“Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” (1 Tim. 4:15 – ESV)
Another way to translate the word “practice” in this verse is accurately rendered in the NASB: “Take pains with these things…”
Sometimes practice is pain – the pain of repetition, rudimentary memorization, and mental or muscle strain. Take those pains as gifts of God to grow you in Christ-likeness.
Practice involves Pain.
Progress doesn’t occur by passivity but through practice. But don’t miss this: the practice is a grace-given, Spirit-empowered discipline of what “things?” Here is Paul’s practice guide from the preceding verses:
“For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things. . . . in conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example to those who believe. . . give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.” (from 1 Tim. 4:10-13)
So you and I must “pay close attention” in these steps of our practice and persevere in the practice! (v. 16)
Practice produces Progress.
Q: So what Spirit-empowered, grace-given practices have you been, perhaps, ignoring or resisting?
Prayer? Studying the Bible? Serving others?
Guarding what you watch, read, or immerse yourself in?
Gathering with the local church for worship, preaching, reading, training, and celebrating of the Lord’s Supper (which we’ll be enjoying this Sunday at Mayfair Bible Church)?
Think about it.
Lean into the practice. Take pains in the practice. Practice leads to progress.
