Practice Takes Time and Energy

My wife bought me a used Martin DX1 acoustic guitar last Christmas that sounds amazing. The problem is is that it doesn't play itself. I have to practice in order to learn to play it. It can sound as amazing as can be, but if it sits in the case and I never pick it up, the rich chord sounds that can come out of it never will.

Practice takes time and on top of keeping up with the mandolin, painting the house this summer (we're almost done), and everything else in life and ministry I haven't given the Martin the time I need to in order to play and lead our youth group in a few worship songs. Plus the guitar is way larger than the mandolin. The mandolin is relatively easy to carry around, but the guitar is a whole other story.

Anyway, like learning to play the guitar, new things in life, even amazingly good things, take time. Building relationships in order to share Christ and model him in my life takes time. Cultivating a deeper friendship with my wife takes time. Building into our daughter's lives takes time. Shepherding the people God has entrusted me with as His undershepherd takes time. Building into the kid's of our youth group takes time as well.

The apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). It takes time and energy to encourage and build up other people. It does.

And growing my relationship with Christ takes time and energy as well. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 43:4, "Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and upon the lyre I shall praise You, O God, my God." There is time involved to be in God's word and prayer. It takes time and energy to practice and play the lyre (guitar or mandolin) in order to praise God through music.

Lord as I have these 24 hours today, help me to use them wisely as I live for you spending the time I need to grow my relationship with You and others (and practice the guitar as well).

Dan