Practice
A Five Minute Friday Challenge
I took piano lessons as a child, so the word "practice" conjures up times that I did not want to sit down at the piano and "do something repeatedly". You know the idiom, "practice makes perfect" or as my college music professor said, "practice makes permanent". It took long sessions of practice to get even a little bit better. I felt like it was far from perfect and if I kept making mistakes in that practice time, they did become permanent. Or at least, until I showed up for my lesson.
However, when I looked up the word, "practice" it also means to "carry out or to apply." As years of lessons went on, the practice I carried out or applied become more enjoyable because it sounded and felt like music.
This week, the Lord showed me a spiritual dimension to practice.
I want to practice praising God for His goodness and faithfulness to me! I want to carry my praise to Him and apply His goodness in my life!
This came alive once again, as I was reading Psalm 100 in The Passion Translation, (emphasis mine).
1 Lift up a great shout of joy to the Lord!
Go ahead and do it—everyone, everywhere!
2 As you serve Him, be glad and worship Him.
Sing your way into His presence with joy!
3 And realize what this really means—
we have the privilege of worshiping the Lord our God.
For He is our Creator and we belong to Him.
We are the people of His pleasure.
4 You can pass through His open gates with the password of praise.
Come right into His presence with thanksgiving.
Come bring your thank offering to Him
and affectionately bless His beautiful name!
5 For the Lord is always good and ready to receive you.
He’s so loving that it will amaze you—
so kind that it will astound you!
And He is famous for His faithfulness toward all.
Everyone knows our God can be trusted,
for He keeps His promises to every generation!
I know I don't always praise God perfectly, but I do want to make practicing praise a permanent part of my life!
This post is part of Kate Motaung's "Five Minute Friday," which she hosts on the Five Minute Friday website. Kate posts a single word each week and each blogger sets a timer for 5 minutes to write and then posts, with very little editing. (Some weeks I have more trouble with that part than others) Check out the other writers this week!
