Daily Refresh, YouVersion Bible App, 3-07-25

When someone is training for a job—any job—they must eventually make the shift from studying to practicing.

The apostle Paul knew how important such a transition was, which is why—even while confined to a Roman prison—he recorded the following words for the believers in Philippi, Greece:

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬

Paul had taught them. Paul had trained them. Paul had loved them. And that’s why, from the isolation of a jail cell, Paul empowered them to live out what they’d learned.

Jesus, too, was passionate about His followers not just trying to look good or to sound good, but to do good—with a heart that genuinely wanted to glorify God. James, the half brother of Jesus, also wrote about not just listening to the Word, but doing what it says.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 
James 1:22-24 ESV

It’s one thing to know about something, but it’s an entirely different thing to put that knowledge into practice. 

The peace of God is a gift that He gives us. It’s something we experience as we draw near to Him by living in a way that honors Him. If we know His will but don’t do anything about it—that shows that we don’t really want to honor God. But if we do His will, then our actions illustrate that our identity is rooted in Christ. And our closeness to Christ allows us to experience His peace. 

Doing the will of God—not just learning about the will of God—unleashes the peace of God. 

So today, study what Paul taught and modeled (which is ultimately what Jesus taught and modeled). And then, ask yourself: “What is God teaching me about Himself, myself, and other people? How can I apply His teachings to my life?”

My Thoughts

I was never one to practice sports since I have had asthma my entire life. So, I didn’t practice any kind of ball or cycling or anything in order to perfect it. However, I did practice teaching for over thirty years. I still say I was practicing at my profession because I kept learning new ways to reach students. I saw through the years that not two students were exactly the same and all of them had unique strengths that I had to discover and help them to use wisely.

When I started my teaching career, there was a part of it called “practice teaching” or “student teaching.” In this part of my college program, I was supposed to be under the mentorship of an experienced teacher who would show me through her skills and techniques how to be a good, effective teacher. I had finished all of my coursework early and was eager to start my new career, so I signed up to do my student teaching during summer school in northern Virginia. The only problem with that scenario is that instead of having a mentor, the school system put me by myself into the classroom, no guidance, no hand-holding, none of what was supposed to be happening. My “mentor” was teaching French down the hall and I was alone teaching Spanish to first year students who had failed the class during the regular school year but were somehow supposed to learn enough to pass a year’s worth of work in a few months. I learned by doing, that’s for sure! My college professor/supervisor came to speak with me regularly. He was normally supposed to come every few weeks but he was arriving several times a week, knowing that I was on my own and might be having some problems. I don’t recall having a lot of difficulty, just a lot of questions that by the time we sat down to talk about what was going on, I was too overwhelmed to ask anything. I got stellar reviews and a great grade on my student teaching performance and the school system got a free summer school teacher. This is not what practice teaching is supposed to be like, and I don’t recommend it, but I did survive it.

Having said all that, I want to make sure you understand that you can learn by jumping headlong into things without practicing with someone wiser and more knowledgeable, but I don’t suggest it. There were a lot of gaps I found missing as I got into the profession itself, gaps that should have been covered when I was practicing. God doesn’t want us to have gaps in our walk with Jesus. He wants us to know exactly the road He wants us on and how to travel it, by reading His Word and following His example. Watch, listen and learn. Then do…that is what practice is. And when you get really good at it, you can then teach others what you have learned by being a good Christian example for them to follow.