“We Will Perform What We Practice”
By
Susan Klein
“Whoever
practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven.”
Matthew 5:19b (NIV)
Matthew 5:19b (NIV)
“We will perform what we practice,” spoke one of our Sunday
morning worship leaders. Her intent was to convey that not only the musicians on
stage perform what they practice, but so does every living person. You may be
practicing the art of mothering, or teaching, or whatever job God has equipped
you to do. Thus, your performance or actions reflect whatever it is that you
are practicing. Usually, our performance reflects what we are practicing in our
hearts or minds.
In the news recently was a devastating story about two young
girls who were (secretly) in the practice of viewing wrongful content on the Internet.
Eventually, their performance reflected their practices as they sought to seriously
harm another girl. Their wrong practices led to very violent thoughts and actions.
Another recent news story unfolded about a 16-year-old young
man convicted of accidentally taking the life of a teenage girl while engaging
in the wrongful practice of carrying and showing off his father’s loaded gun on
the school bus. It went off, unintentionally killing her. In the courtroom,
after the judge pronounced the verdict, the mother of the girl went up and
embraced the boy, speaking her forgiveness to him. She was performing the act
of mercy, which spoke volumes to the young man and all those watching her
actions. Her God-honoring practices affected more than her own heart, they
touched the lives of many that day.
If musicians or actors didn’t fervently practice their music
or lines, their performance would not be worthy of an audience and they would lack
credibility as performers. As Christ-followers, we too need to be careful what
we are practicing. If we are strongly engaging in activities that do not
glorify our heavenly Father, our performance will not glorify Him nor will it
be a credible witness to those around us. If, however, we engage in His Word,
and then put those words into practice, our performance will not only please
our heavenly Father, but will greatly impact those who see our performance.
My pastor recently ended a sermon with these words, “God says,
‘I want to put my Son on display in you.’” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we all
put that into practice - - letting Jesus be displayed in each of us?!!
GOING DEEPER:
1.
What good practices do others see in you?
2. What unhealthy practices might you need to let go
of?
FURTHER READING:
Susan enjoys teaching Bible
studies, writing, and tutoring with the Literacy Council. She and her husband
Mark most recently co-led an on-site
small group with Oakwood's Wednesday Night Community.
