Practice makes perfect. Or, as my dad would tell me, perfect practice makes perfect.

That was certainly evidenced when I would practice piano as a youth. Repeatedly playing the wrong notes engrained them in my mind and finger strokes. I needed to break down the troubling musical phrase into sections that I could repeatedly practice correctly. That, however, can be grating to the listener.

Thankfully, practicing what God desires and commands is not grating to him. He is lovingly patient, transforming us as we open our eyes to his truths and submit to him. He knows we will stumble, and he helps us, in his mercy and grace, to get up and follow his lead. Training to be godly takes perseverance with our eyes focused on Jesus. This takes practice.

Jesus tells us to love God and love others. As I study the Word about how to love, I read how loving others correlates with the fruit of the Spirit and how loving God means obeying him. To help me put this into practice, I like to write what I learn. I pray it. I memorize it. I break it down into bite-sized pieces. Those smaller chunks allow me to practice putting love into action. A bonus result is that I became more joy-filled!

This practice entails humbling my heart and taking my thoughts captive to Jesus. I remain in awe at how the Holy Spirit points me to God’s desired ways, even though my humanness may not initially think of them. God wants my heart, and he wants yours. We can delight in him.

When honoring the Lord is our motivation, his love can be reflected through even a smile, a caring word, a helping hand, a thoughtful conversation. These are some simple ways to put others before our self and place God over all. When we have the words of God at the forefront of our mind, the Holy Spirit will use them to direct our steps.

Let’s put our faith into practice!