DAILY DEVOTIONAL – August 14, 2019
“Practiced, Not Perfect”
Prayer: God, it is only from Your gracious hand that all good things come. You have given each of us talents and abilities that we can use to benefit and prosper in this life, but more importantly, through Your Holy Spirit You have given us a new heart that desires to serve You and please You. Help us to practice and nurture that precious gift of faith each day. Amen.
Scripture: Philippians 4:8-9
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Devotion – “Practiced, Not Perfect”
We have all heard if not used the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” On the one hand, practice and hard work are certainly a good thing and should be encouraged. The Bible speaks regularly of diligence and the value of hard work.
Colossian 3:23 – Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
Proverbs 13:4 – Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
Proverbs 14:23 – Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty.
2 Timothy 2:6 – It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 – Those unwilling to work will not get to eat.
So, clearly, Scripture encourages and teaches hard work and practice. In the freedom God has given us and in His command for us to subdue the earth, God has given us all talents and abilities that we can practice, make the most of and use to provide for ourselves and enjoy as a hobby and even as an occupation.
On the other hand, it would be foolish and unhealthy to actually believe that practice literally makes perfect. Even the best and most talented, the smartest and most able people in the world are very far from perfect, not only in exercising their gifts but also in their character and who they are. You may be talented enough bowl 300, however, I can guarantee not every single game you play will result in a perfect score. Another person may be gifted in leadership or management, but even the best of leaders makes the mistake of making decisions for their own selfish reasons rather than always for the pure benefit of those under their authority.
When it comes to skill and ability, you often hear people say of truly gifted people, especially in sports or music, that they were “born to play the guitar” or that they are a “natural-born” basketball player.
The famous baseball player Ted Williams put up some amazing statistics in his days. In the 40s and 50s, he was known as a “natural hitter” because of the seeming ease and regularity with which he would make contact with the ball and send it soaring through the air.
Williams was once asked about his natural ability to hit. He replied, “There’s no such thing as a natural-born hitter. I became a good hitter because I paid the price of constant practice.”
What’s true of practice with our God given skills and abilities in this temporary world, is exponentially true of our spiritual life.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 – Train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
And in our text for today, Paul also says, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Not everyone has the same skills or abilities, and when it comes to our faith and spirituality, there is no one that is naturally gifted. No one is born with a heart toward God or with a truly spiritual disposition. We are by nature selfish and sinful and spiritually numb. God puts it this way in Romans 3:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
If left to our own natural-born spiritual abilities, no one would know God or His loving grace and salvation that He has provided in the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. But the Good News of the Gospel is that God has not left us to our own ability. God in His great love looked down upon a rebellious sinful people and had mercy and compassion, and through faith in God’s salvation provided in the blood of Jesus, God has sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts and as 2 Corinthians 5 tells us, we have been made a new creation in Christ. We have been given a heart by the grace of God that wants to please God and live for God and glorify God. As Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 – For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
It is this new heart of faith that God has given us, that Paul tells us to put into practice. While we live in this broken world, until that day we return home in death or when Christ returns to take us home, we still have that old unspiritual self to contend with, and this is why Paul exhorts us to practice the faith and desires of the new heart God has given us in Christ.
Practicing our faith will never make us perfect or earn us salvation, but as Paul says in our text from Philippians, practicing whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable and worthy of God’s praise will not only bring joy and contentment in this life, but more importantly, it prepares our hearts to receive the eternal blessings God has secured for us in Christ even now.
Many people today want to have a close relationship with God and experience Him and His presence daily, but it seems fewer and fewer Christians are willing to practice and exercise their faith with as much focus and commitment as they do the skills required for their temporary job or favorite hobby. The unshakable and ever-thankful faith we all desire to have doesn’t come naturally to anyone by any measure, that kind of faith is not a perfect faith, but it is a practiced faith of prayer and a faith rooted in and fluent in the Word of God.
God did not leave it up to us in order to be saved, no, He did that all on His own in Christ. We are not saved by any kind of spiritual law or practice. However, to grow in that faith and grow in an intimate and eternally fulfilling relationship with God even now today, does require discipline and practice on our part. So my dear friends, work hard, practice your faith daily in prayer and in the Word of God…not in order to be saved, but because God has so graciously saved us and because we may know Him and grow in our relationship with the Almighty Creator even now, and even this very day. Commit time and effort in knowing God more intimately by reading His Word and spending consistent time in prayer.
And remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
