Spiritual PracticesSample

Why Do We Practice?

If your dream was to be the next Justin Bieber, and you were told that one hour singing in the shower every day for 10 years would make you the next Biebs, would you do it?

We all have heroes, people we want to be like or maybe even trade lives with. Maybe for you, that person is LeBron James or Taylor Swift. The point is that the people we look up to didn’t just wake up one morning and find themselves at the top of their craft or game.

Daily practice over time helped them get where they are today. It’s true of great musicians, great athletes, and great Christians. Learning to follow Jesus takes practice. 

1 Timothy 4:7 tells us that godliness, or Christ-likeness, comes with training. 

Just like your heroes were given some level of talent as a gift, you received salvation as a gift. Nothing we did earned our place in God’s family. 

But at some point, LeBron, Taylor, and Beiber all decided to take responsibility for the gift that had been given to them. To take what they had received and see how far they could go. 

That’s similar to what training in godliness looks like. It starts with us recognizing the gift we’ve received in salvation and putting into practice habits that will help us think and see the world as Jesus does (Philippians 4:9). 

Spiritual practices are about spending time with Jesus, getting to know Him, and becoming more like Him. God created each of us uniquely, so none of our relationships will look exactly the same. 

You might find yourself drawn to one spiritual practice more than another, and that’s OK. Just remember, every spiritual practice can reveal something new about who God is and how He made us. 

Reflection Questions: 

• What am I currently practicing that is not making me more like Jesus?
• Who do I need to ask to come alongside me to help me train? 
• What should I start practicing to make me more like Jesus?