Practice Makes Perfect

*Originally Posted under title "Songs and Verses: where is your time and heart?" on May 31st, 2015*

I love to sing. I used to sing in a church choir. People even told me I had a great voice. Since I quit the choir, I've struggled with my singing voice and I don't always hit the right notes.

I pondered for a time... What had happened to my voice?

It dawned on me, I had put a lot of time and effort into practicing singing whilst I was in the choir...
... and I had since slacked off.

When I was in the choir, I thought about the songs constantly. I sang the songs continually. I listened to the recordings of the songs to practice hitting the right notes; singing in harmony with the other choir members.

One day as I was pondering this and contemplating how to integrate singing regularly back into my life, I realized something.

To be a good singer, one has to devote a considerable amount of time and effort into singing and learning one's material. Same goes for any other art, activity, language, even...

I attended beginner and intermediate American Sign Language classes at a nearby college when I was 8 years old. I learned tons of signs, but after a few years of barely using sign language, most of it faded away.

Same thing goes for a limb that's been broken and put in a cast. My Dad's wrist was broken in a motorcycle accident several years ago and he was unable to use it for some time. The muscles in his wrist withered away in that time, indeed his whole arm was affected. He went to physical therapy to build back the muscles in his arm, and slowly, but surely Dad regained some of the muscle in his arm and wrist.

These three analogies are all a parable of one meaning. If you claim to be a Christian, but don't give all your time and efforts to Christ, you cannot succeed.

The message of Christ in the Holy Scriptures makes up the song that our lives should be singing.

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. 1 Timothy 4:8

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.  2 Timothy 3:16

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 2 Timothy 4:2

We need to be in the Word, all the time, studying up so that we know what Jesus would do in any given situation. That is how we'll succeed!