Practice Makes Perfect

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

– 1 Corinthians 9:25

In his best-seller Outliers: The Story of Success, author Malcom Gladwell wrote that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert or master performer in a given field. Whether you’re a software developer, a rock star or a golfer, it takes that long to get to the top.

Other experts have criticized Gladwell’s assertions as an oversimplification of

what it takes to reach the summit. They point out that not all practice is the same. What’s more, some masterminds had advantages that their peers didn’t. Bill Gates, for instance, grew up in a wealthy home, and he had access to computers at private schools. Genetics, when you started, and how you practice all help determine how long (if ever) it takes to rise to the top. But with that in mind, the core principle is generally true: Practice makes perfect.

This observation is hardly new. The Bible, God’s word to us written centuries ago, also praises the value of training and discipline. As Christ-followers, we need to develop and use the gifts and talents God has given us to make a positive difference in our community and the world. For example, we’re called to explain the basis of our faith to anyone who asks us. But how can we answer questions from a neighbor or coworker if we don’t regularly set aside time to read and study the Bible and know what we’re talking about? This type of spiritual training is also a great way to grow closer to God by developing our ability to listen for his voice. And in turn, it helps us discern right from wrong when faced by those modern-day scenarios that are so rarely black or white. 

The thousands of hours that a successful marathon runner puts on the road should remind us of the critical need for endurance in our spiritual journey. The path we travel as Christ-followers is anything but straight, smooth and easy. Jesus tells us, “Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate. But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road.”

As we strive to be effective disciples of Jesus, let’s consider Bill Gates’ rise to the top in the world of personal computing and software. It was his dedicated, steadfast pursuit of the seemingly impossible that helped Microsoft become the multi-billion-dollar company that it is today. Likewise, it takes focused training, discipline and endurance to become the faith-driven, world-changing people God envisions us to be. 

Friends in High Places

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

– Hebrews 10:24-25

The saying goes that it’s not what you know, but rather WHO you know that makes all the difference. And that’s certainly true when you’re facing a difficult situation — like when you need a plumber to fix a broken pipe on a holiday weekend or a pair of front row tickets to that sold-out concert. Life is much easier when you know someone who knows someone who can get things done. 

Christ-followers enjoy a similar advantage because of who we know. After all,

ours is a faith that embraces relationship over religion. Specifically, there’s the ultimate parent/child relationship between us and God. It’s a bond that’s made possible through Jesus’ death on the cross — a punishment we all rightly deserve for our lifetimes stained by personal failures and shortcomings (also known as “sin”). But since we’re connected with the right person (Jesus), he’s already paid the price to save us from a certain death and eternal punishment in hell. What's more, Christ has us covered so well that we’re literally heirs to his Father’s kingdom.

While that’s the primary relationship we enjoy as Christ-followers, God also wants us to establish relationships with others so they can begin their own faith-journeys. That means introducing them to Jesus, sharing his story and relating how his death on the cross means a whole new life here on earth — and later in eternity. And when these soon-to-be believers arrive at those inevitable rough patches in life, they’ll always know The One to call.

How do we get the ball rolling? 

One of the best ways is to begin praying for people by name. They might be our family members, coworkers, neighbors, political leaders, the unsaved — and particularly our enemies. After that, don’t be surprised if God creates the circumstances where we become the answer to someone else’s prayer.  

Jesus set our example when he dispatched some of his followers to spread the Good News (the Gospel) throughout the community:

“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel,” he told them. “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

Here, Jesus instructed his disciples to be the answer to someone’s fervent prayers — and all while using their connection with him to do the seemingly impossible.

Do you have friends in high places? It’s WHO you know that makes all the difference.

Heard It on the Grapevine

 I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.

– Genesis 17:6

Recorded during times when agriculture was the livelihood of most people, the Bible is full of references to the planting, harvesting and storage of crops. The crowds that followed Jesus from village to village were certainly familiar with the imagery of fruitfulness in his parable called The Sower. And they knew a thing or two about cultivation. After all, their ability to grow a thriving crop each year could mean the difference between starvation and having plenty. 

A related theme in the Bible addresses mankind’s need for a thriving

relationship with its Creator. Without him, nothing — spiritual or physical — can grow.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener,” Jesus tells us through John’s gospel. “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Christ then added this caution:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Warm weather is just a few months away, and folks will soon flock to lawn and garden centers to buy the tools, fertilizers and other supplies to make their gardens thrive. They know that with enough time and effort, the harvest can be both remarkable and satisfying.    

The same goes for cultivating our spiritual lives, which also takes time and effort. But unlike a plot of vegetables that eventually withers and dies with the first frosts of autumn, spirit-filled lives rooted in the Bible and a solid relationship with God will thrive and produce much fruit — and all with eternal benefits. 

Are you reading your Bible, cultivating a fruitful relationship with our Creator and helping others do the same? Work awaits us in the fields. So as we gather our spiritual gardening tools for the task at hand, let’s be sure to consider these familiar words of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel: 

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

Enough Is Enough

 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

– Philippians 4:12

The story goes that a reporter once interviewed a billionaire and marveled at the rich man’s ability to amass wealth.

"Just how much money is enough?” asked the reporter. “Just a little bit more,” replied the billionaire.

Whether you’re independently wealthy, living from paycheck to paycheck or somewhere in between, a little bit more tends to be the remedy for our dissatisfaction. Rather than In God We Trust, perhaps America’s official motto should be Supersize It.

God has blessed our nation with incredible wealth. Even our poor and unemployed are rich compared to most people in the world. Yet a pandemic of discontentment tends to blind us to this fact. The more possessions we gather and the higher we climb up the corporate ladder, the more disillusioned and unfulfilled we can become. And rather than thanking God for his blessings and making the most of them, we wonder (often aloud) if this is all there is to life.

This sickness can also have some nasty symptoms, including a reliance on alcohol, street drugs, illicit relationships and gambling — all to ease our self-inflicted pain. Things might feel better for a while. But soon the discomfort returns.

This problem is hardly new. And it’s not confined to the United States or even Western society. In fact, the Bible — God’s practical owner’s manual for you and me — addressed the

issue of discontentment centuries ago. And its advice is as valid today as it was back then.

First, consider all the ways God has blessed you. It could involve your family, career, health, friends … just count the ways. Then, stop comparing your possessions with what’s next door. Marketers do very well when they convince you that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. But don’t forget that someone else is probably wishing they could have just one or two of your blessings.

Like that elusive blessing called joy, contentment isn’t something we can get by buying a new car, moving into a bigger house or landing a job with a corner office. Contentment is instead an internal source of fulfillment and comfort acquired by knowing your Savior and living out the abundant life he's purchased for you. 

It’s really all about Jesus. A growing relationship with him produces contentment because there's nothing bigger, better or more necessary. Comparisons fall away and material things lose their luster. What was once so important soon fades into insignificance. 

Sound simplistic or too good to be true? A whole new life is just inches away — the distance between the head and the heart. And all that’s needed is to accept Jesus’ offer and grow in contentment.

So is there really enough in this lifetime? The bigger question is whether we’re willing to take yes for an answer. 

Breakfast of Champions

 For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.

– Proverbs 5:23

Legend has it that about 500 years before Jesus proclaimed the Good News, a professional courier named Pheidippides completed the world’s first marathon. Following the Greek army’s decisive victory over the Persians at Marathon, he was dispatched to share the good news with the people of Athens. Pheidippides faithfully ran more than 20 miles to his destination. And after announcing, “Rejoice, we are victorious,” he dropped dead from exhaustion.

These days, thousands of runners compete in marathons all over the globe. And many of them prepare by adhering to a special diet to carry them over the finish line. In her Runners World magazine article titled The Healthy Runner’s Diet, Liz Applegate recommends a regimen

of seeds, fruits and vegetables, plant foods with their skins intact, milk and milk products, meat, foods originating from cold water (like fish and other seafood), plus poultry or eggs from free-range or grass-fed animals. These powerful foods, says Dr. Applegate, promote good health and peak athletic performance for long-distance runners. And what many marathoners well-know is that eating the wrong foods can mean the difference between victory and dropping out of contention with miles still left to go.

This principle also applies to Christ-followers. After all, our faith-journey isn’t a sprint or even a jog. Instead, it’s a long-distance adventure that’s in many ways a marathon. But the similarities end when it comes to food. And not so much with physical nourishment, but spiritual fuel. As Christ-followers, we want our lives to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But if we’re constantly feeding ourselves with negative influences — such as poor choices in relationships and entertainment — we shouldn’t be surprised if we follow our old sinful natures from time to time. Expressions of jealousy, bitterness and frustration are common examples of what can happen when we’re not consuming the right spiritual foods to go the distance.

As the Apostle Paul explained to the Galatians, “Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other, so you cannot do just what you please.”

It’s obvious that every Christ-follower — just like every participant in the Boston Marathon — must prepare for the long and demanding race ahead of them. And rather than carb-loading to maximize our muscles’ energy storage, we need to follow a determined spiritual regimen that will help see us to victory.

A good way to start is with constant prayer and a continual awareness that we can’t make it without the Holy Spirit living within us. And rather than living one day at a time, proceed moment-by-moment. Second, let’s deliberately filter our thinking. Do the movies we watch, the websites we visit and the friends we make feed our spirit or our sinful nature? Finally, we need to die to ourselves every day by constantly scanning for traps and obstacles in our lives that could run us off the track. In 2 Timothy, Paul writes that his spiritual diet and rigorous training paid off for his faith-journey:

“I have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. At last the champion’s wreath that is awarded for righteousness is waiting for me. The Lord, who is the righteous judge, is going to give it to me on that day. He’s giving it not only to me but also to all those who have set their heart on waiting for his appearance.”

Whether you’re a brand-new Christ-follower or a longtime believer, the old saying is true: You are what you eat. And in that grueling marathon called life, maintaining your discipline and making wise choices will help take you across the finish line.