n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 4
We tend to think
that just because we
know something,
we’ve mastered it.
We would never say
that just because we
can ride a bike that
we could win the
Tour de France, but
often when it comes
to spiritual skills we
fail to distinguish
between competence
and mastery.
student then executed a perfect punch. He
had perfect balance, speed and control,
and his hand stopped exactly one inch
from the flame. The master then said:
“Let me show you my punch.” The
master executed his punch, stopped two
feet from the flame, and with it a burst of
energy was propelled toward the candle,
extinguishing it. The student’s eyes nearly
popped out of his skull, and he said to the
master:
“ That! Show me how to do that!”
The master said, “That’s what I’ve
been trying to do. I wanted to show you
a punch!”
Sometimes we do the same thing with
our spiritual life. We think we know the
basics, and to a certain extent we do. Stop
doing evil, learn to do good. If I told you
today, “Go out and stop doing evil, and
learn to do good,” most would probably
think, “Yep. Got it. No problem.”
Like the kung-fu student, we tend to think that just because we know
something, we’ve mastered it. We would never say that just because we can
ride a bike that we could win the Tour de France, but often when it comes
to spiritual skills we fail to distinguish between competence and mastery.
The Lord tells us that we aren’t supposed to just “know” the Word, to have a
competence with it, but we are to meditate on it day and night, never veering
to the left or to the right. We are to master it.
Likewise the kung-fu master went on to tell the student that the enemy
will not be afraid of the 10,000 different punches you’ve practiced once, but he
will be deathly afraid of the one punch you have practiced 10,000 times. That
kind of practice brings mastery.
In your spiritual life, it isn’t the 10,000 teachings of the Word you’ve read
once that will impact the hells, but rather the one teaching that you’ve practiced
10,000 times. When bad times strike, and they will, what is your “go-to” move?
When thoughts of doubt, despair and anger come rushing in, what teaching
can you execute to diffuse the mental turmoil? You know how to punch, but
do you know how to punch?
As a youth, David had mastered a couple of fundamental concepts. The
Philistine army was marching forward, continually pushing back the Israelite
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