Spring, it’s a great time of year! This, of course, is merely an opinion, but one that comes from the fact that spring means baseball. Without a doubt, baseball is my favorite season! I grew up playing baseball. And I was a legend – at least in my own mind!
I will confess that I loved the games but hated practice. As a young boy (ages 9-12), I could get away with messing around during practice or even sitting out on some of the scorching hot days. At that point, I was good enough to still be one of the top players on the team both in hitting and fielding even without the work. But then…. I grew older, and the players around me improved. The story’s narrative changed. I liked hitting and so enjoyed hitting practice. Because I put in the work, I continued to be a good hitter. However, my feelings toward fielding were not the same. It wasn’t as much fun. I didn’t put in the necessary time when it came to fielding practice. In the end, I wound up being moved to a position that didn’t require much movement or skill so I wouldn’t be a detriment to the team.
Making the Connection
Recently our Pastor was preaching on Philippians 4:6-9…
“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
One of the major themes of the book of Philippians is joy. In this passage, Paul reminds the Philippians to put into practice what he has been teaching them.
Our Pastor mentioned that some of the issues we as Christians deal with are worry and anxiety. This brought back memories of my baseball career. I realized that I did not put in the time and practice to make myself better. And this ended up costing me playing time and a chance at excelling in the sport.
The same can be said for our Christian faith. We must put in the “practice” time, i.e. spending time in God’s word, studying, praying, worshiping. When we goof off during practice or choose to sit out when things are uncomfortable, we lose out.
To grow in Christlikeness, to leave a godly legacy of faith to those around us, we must invest our time and energies into “practice.” As Paul reminded the Philippians, we must put into practice what we have been taught.
Reflecting on the Challenge
To grow in Christlikeness, to be one who leaves a godly legacy of faith, we need to be intentional about guarding our hearts and minds. And this is accomplished by filling ourselves with God’s word. This will lead us to a place of thinking on the things that Paul listed in verse 8.
When those around us don’t see us practicing what we say we believe, they begin to doubt that we truly believe it. We show our children and grandchildren what we believe by what we invest our time in. Are we binging TV shows, spending most of our time on social media, or sports? Then giving God our leftovers? If so, this is what our loved ones see.
It’s practice season. Let’s stop messing around and skipping out. It’s time to put into practice what we truly want to leave as a legacy.
