Once a week when I was in grade school, I would spend an hour taking a piano lesson. Along with that, my mom set up a half an hour practice time every day. This went on for about three years. At the end of those three years I was an average piano player. I could read music, and I could play three books full of basic songs. I played a little bit here and a little bit there, but I never got really good.
What is the difference between an expert, or professional, piano player, and me? I would say, love, time and dedication.
God has given us the gift of Jesus Christ. How much time should we spend with Him? One hour a week? One hour a week and a half an hour a day? As with my piano playing, that might make us an average Christian. But if you really want to excel, it takes more. We should love Jesus, dedicate ourselves to Him, and practice the things that He wants to teach us.
Some of the ways to dedicate ourselves are:
1. Reading and studying the Bible; know God and what He wants for us.
2. Prayer; prayer makes us sharp. You can cut a lot of wood with a dull ax, but why would you want to work harder for less? Sharpen your ax.
3. Fellowship; fellowship keeps the fire burning. It takes many pieces of wood, close together, to make a good fire. If you take one of the burning sticks out of the fire and set it apart from the others, chances are it will go out. We need fellowship to keep us burning strong. And sometimes we need it most when we want it the least.
4. Giving; our heart is where our treasure is, and not the other way around. Give to God, where He leads, and your heart will be with Him.
5. Ministry; ministry feeds us.
So wheather it's the piano, or living a Christian life, it takes love, time, practice and dedication to be more than average; to excel.
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