I have been practicing finger picking on the acoustic guitar for the last several months and I have really enjoyed it.  I grabbed a pick the other day to play a couple of songs and I could tell it has been a while since I used a pick.  It took me a while to get the feel for it again and to be able to pluck only the strings I meant to.  The situation served to remind me of the need for me to practice these things that don’t come so naturally to me.  It’s true, I am not a natural when it comes to music or playing the guitar.  I find that if I don’t practice consistently, I quickly lose the muscle memory and it takes me a while to knock the rust off and do the things I want to do.  Practice is important.

In Philippians 4:9, Paul speaks of the need to practice the spiritual things of God that he taught the Philippians.  He says that practicing these things will bring us closer to the God of peace.  Prior to that verse, Paul has shared with the Philippians the things they ought to practice: rejoicing in the Lord, demonstrating a gentle spirit, praying regularly, and focusing on things that are true, honorable, lovely,  right, pure, excellent and praise worthy, things of a good reputation.  That’s a pretty long play list.  And I don’t know about you, but for most of us, some of those things don’t come naturally.  And for me, that is a good reason to practice.