Keep Practicing

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-17

Jonah was excited as he skated out onto the ice for his first hockey practice. I’m glad I’ve been skating since I was a little kid, he thought. I’m already a good skater, so it shouldn’t take me long to learn to play hockey.

After teaching the kids some exercises and watching them skate for a while, Coach Thomas called them together. “We’re going to practice hitting the puck,” he said. Jonah was eager to try it.

SMACK! Jonah’s stick hit the ice hard. THUMP! His feet shot out from under him, and down he went. “Try again, Jonah,” Coach called as he skated over. “Put your hands on the stick like this.” Jonah followed the coach’s directions and managed to hit the puck a short distance.

By the end of the practice time, Jonah was discouraged. “It’s a good thing I already know how to skate,” he told his dad, who had been watching them practice. “Otherwise, I don’t think I’d ever get the hang of this. I’m still not sure I will.”

“With practice, I’m sure you’ll do well at it,” Dad replied. “You just need to learn how to handle that hockey stick.”

Jonah practiced each day after school. “I’m getting pretty good with my hockey stick!” he told Dad a few days later.

“Great!” said Dad. “I knew you could do it.” He looked down at the Sunday school lesson he was preparing to teach. “Are you getting pretty good with your sword too?”

“My sword?” asked Jonah. “What sword?”

Dad smiled and held up a Bible. “This one. God’s Word is called the sword of the Spirit. It’s even more important to practice using this sword than it is to practice using your hockey equipment.”

“Oh,” said Jonah. “Well, I learn the memory verses for church every week. Is that what you mean?”

“That’s good,” Dad said. “But don’t just memorize them. Use them. Think about what they say about Jesus—like what He’s done for you and who He’s making you to be—and put them into practice in the way you live your life.”

Jonah thought it over. “Okay,” he said after a moment. “I’ll practice using both my sword and my hockey stick!”

-Shelley L. Russwurm

How About You?

Do you play a sport or a musical instrument or do something else that takes practice? It’s important to practice those things over and over so they become more natural to you, and God has given you a sword that, with practice, makes His truth a natural part of your life. Your Bible is your sword. Read it and use it so you can defeat Satan’s lies and put God’s truth into practice in your daily life.

Today’s Key Verse: Ephesians 6:17 (NLT) Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Today’s Key Thought:

Practice using the Bible