Practice to Proficiency

For many childhood years, I did not like the timer on the oven - Mom said I couldn't stop practicing [the piano] until the "timer went off." Faithful practice is required for anything we intend to do well. Abraham obeyed God's voice, and Joseph received God's instructions through [God-given] dreams; neither men had a book of instruction. As he stood on the edge of the Promised Land, God told Joshua the "Book of the Law" shouldn't depart from his mouth, and he was commanded to meditate in it "day and night" (Joshua 1:8). O. S. Hawkins writes, "The word 'meditate" indicates that Scripture is to be like a tune that we cannot get out of our minds. It just permeates our thinking processes." There was purpose to Mom setting that oven timer for thirty minutes: she knew daily practice was required to play well. Just like God purposed success for Joshua and Israel, it's what God plans for those who love Him. Are you reading, meditating and practicing God's Word?  It's not enough just to read and meditate: practice leads to proficiency.