Practice Time

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16; Acts 2:40-44

Max was passing the kitchen door when he heard his little brother’s voice. “Dad, can I please have those shoes? They’re the kind Tyler Ford wears.”

Max grinned and went into the kitchen. “Do you think that since Tyler Ford is a basketball star those shoes will automatically turn you into a great player?”

Jude shrugged. “They might help,” he said, and Max laughed.

“Max,” said Dad, “instead of teasing your brother, maybe you can help him understand that effort, not a fancy pair of shoes, will help make him a good basketball player.”

Max nodded. “Dad’s right, Jude. If you practice every day, you’ll get better and better, no matter what kind of shoes you wear.”

Jude looked a bit disappointed. “Guess I’ll start practicing then,” he said with a sigh and headed for the door.

Max grinned at his dad. “I was about to head over to the junior high Bible study at church, but maybe I’ll go help Jude with his basketball practice instead.”

Dad motioned toward Max’s Bible on the kitchen counter. “Grandma gave each of you kids a new Bible for Christmas, didn’t she?” he asked. “Is that it?”

Max nodded. “Yep. My name’s on the cover. Isn’t that cool?” He smoothed his hand over the embossed name.

Dad nodded thoughtfully. “Nice shoes and nice Bibles are great, but just having them doesn’t make you a good player or help you grow spiritually, does it?”

It took a moment before Max realized what his dad meant. “Jude needs to practice to become a better basketball player,” he said slowly, “and I need to learn from God by spending time in His Word.”

“Right,” said Dad. “And one really great way to do that is to study the Bible with other believers. After all, you can’t learn to play basketball all by yourself, can you? You need to practice and learn from the coach as a team. Learning to walk with Jesus along with other Christians is a big way He shows us who He is, which is why church and Bible studies are so important.”

“Okay, Dad,” Max said. “I’ll go to Bible study. I don’t want to miss practice with my spiritual team!”

“Good,” said Dad. “I’m sure the Coach will appreciate that!” – A.J. Schut

How About You?

Do you want to get to know Jesus more and more? To improve in sports, you need to learn the rules of the game and spend time practicing. To deepen your relationship with God, you need to learn about who He is, and a good way to do that is to spend time in His Word—both by yourself and with other believers. Spend time as a team learning how to walk with your Coach—Jesus!

Today’s Key Verse:
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Learn with other Christians