Keep in Practice

Jeff dribbled the ball past Eric and shot it toward the basket. He winced as it hit the rim and bounced off. "Missed it again!" he exclaimed.

"Maybe your two-week vacation got you out of practice," said Eric.

"I guess so," agreed Jeff. "I meant to practice while we were gone, but you don't find many basketball courts at motels."

When Jeff arrived home, he talked with his mother while he enjoyed a snack of milk and cookies. "I missed way too many baskets, Mom, " he said. "I'm all out of practice. I think I'll see if Eric will go to the gym with me for a while after supper."

Mom frowned. "Don't you have Bible Club tonight?" she asked.

Jeff shrugged. "It won't hurt if I miss one more time," he said.

Mom wiped up a spill of milk. "You know what happened when you let up on basketball practice," she said. "You lost some of your skill." Jeff looked puzzled. "We can get 'out of practice' when it comes to spiritual things, too," continued Mom. "One way to keep 'in practice' spiritually is to study God's Word-and then, of course, also practice what we learn from it. If we don't do that, we're apt to find ourselves doing and saying things that are not pleasing to God."

Jeff nodded. "But . . . can't I practice spiritual things without going to Bible Club tonight?" he asked. "I mean . . . well . . . I go to church and Sunday school and we have devotions every day, so why would it hurt to skip Bible Club just one more time?"

"One more time might not hurt so much," Mom said, "but then again, it might be the beginning of a habit. Before we left on our trip, you said you meant to practice basketball while we were gone, but it didn't work out that way, did it? You may mean to skip Bible Club just once more and to study God's Word in other places, but as you know, what we mean to do doesn't always get done. So . . ."

"So I'd better get to Bible Club before I get as out of practice with that, too," said Jeff. "Okay. I'll wait till tomorrow to work at basketball again."

How About You?

Do you work hard at things like school work, music, or sports? It's good to work on these things-it takes practice to become good at them. It also takes "practice" to become a strong Christian. Be faithful in doing the things that build your faith-things such as studying the Bible, following God's commands, spending time with other Christians, and praying. Practice them-make them a frequent and regular part of your life.

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