Today (5/13) while dropping kids off at the school, I saw something that hit me the right way. A 5th grader was walking on the sidewalk from the high school toward the elementary building. As he is walking, he is dribbling a basketball. Right hand, left hand, right hand, left hand. Over and over as he talked with his friends. Occasionally, he might dribble behind his back or between his legs. He was obviously right hand dominate so he paid special attention to getting the same coordination with his left hand.
This isn’t the first day I’ve seen it. In fact, there have been several days he walks past my bus, dribbling and talking, dribbling and talking. Sounds like this could illustrate Tuesday’s devotional!
Here’s my prediction. One day, if this 5th grader continues on this course, he is going to be a very good basketball player. I don’t know if he has what it takes to become a college basketball player or make it to the NBA. But he is going to be proficient among his peers. Why? Because the tool of his profession is constantly in his hands, being exercised while his own abilities develop and are stretched.
Let me draw out of this scene a different parallel. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” When I think of study, I think of what I do when preparing a sermon. I’m pouring through Scripture, head down, researching, digging out the meaning of words, and chasing a concept throughout the pages of the Scripture. I do this in order to preach a sermon that will “rightly divide God’s Word of truth.”
Study in this verse entails this concept but needs a bit more clarification. Webster’s 1828 dictionary says the word means, “a setting of the mind or thoughts upon a subject; to consider attentively; to examine closely; to endeavor diligently. Thayer’s Greek Dictionary adds one more concept: “hasten or hurry to give this diligence to the Word of God.”
Let’s go back to the basketball player. The Bible is the “tool of our profession.” It’s the ball. It has to be in our hands constantly. We have to work at learning it. Back and forth. Over and over. Repetition is the key.
Michael Jordan, NBA’s GOAT said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”1 And, yet Jordan practiced and worked out every day to improve and get better at his profession.
Christian, we will never know all there is to know in God’s Word. We just have to get in there and “practice” every day, putting in the hard hours to learn more about God and His Word. The more the Book is in our hands, the better we will get at handling it.
Practice never makes us perfect, but it should make us better. Take to heart the words of Proverbs 23:12. “Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”
1https://fadeawayworld.net/michael-jordans-secret-to-success-ive-missed-more-than-9000-shots-in-my-career-ive-lost-almost-300-games-ive-failed-over-and-over-and-over-again-in-my-life-and-that-is-why-i-succeed
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
