Craig Clouston

Practicing Christianity

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice.

Philippians 4:9

This house church was a special group of people. Diverse in vocation yet closely knit through their spiritual lives, this group loved to study God’s Word. Tonight, their conversation centered on verses nine and ten of the fourth chapter of Philippians: Right thinking. Discussion was lively and enlightening.

Several shared how it had been difficult during their early relationship with Jesus to focus on the right things all the time, but how the closer they got to Him, the easier it became to stay, as Lyle put it, ‘right-minded’.

Heads nodded when Cain said, “It’s been great to watch each other grow over the years, seeing God have His way in our lives.”

Dirk added, “I believe that the things we’ve practiced are the things we’ve become proficient in.”

As if on cue, Steve chimed in with, “Doesn’t that mean we’ve been practicing Christianity?” Meant to elicit laughter, Steve’s statement also brought smiles because it made perfect sense. Christianity, indeed, was what they had been practicing.

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These comments are simple in nature, yet profound in revelation. The best thing we can do to live the life God ordained for us is to be practicing Christians.

The adage, “Practice makes perfect” is true. And the more we practice, the closer we get to perfect. In direct correlation, when we fail to practice, we practice for failure.

Pro baseball players practice long hours to excel at their sport. Many of their workouts include repetitive-motion drills, specifically designed to build what’s called ‘muscle memory’, which requires less conscious effort to maintain. But if they slack off or stop their workout they immediately lose that muscle memory, and find themselves out of shape.

This same principle applies to our Spirituality. If we routinely practice right-thinking and right-doing, we build spiritual muscle memory. But, like the ballplayer, if we neglect our ‘workout’, we lose our competitive edge and the enemy is able to draw us back into unproductive thought patterns. The only way to ensure strong spiritual health is to diligently continue practicing Christianity.

Prayer

“Holy Spirit, please help me stay right-minded, with a heart bent toward You. Help me practice this relationship called Christianity. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”