The Wrong Kind of Expert
“They never stop sinning…they are experts in greed.”
2 Peter 2:14
I have vivid memories of what it was like to play hockey, ride a horse, and swing a tennis racquet. When it comes to tennis, my mom was my best coach. She possessed great finesse and tried to pass on good ball-and-racquet skills to me. But I was a stubborn learner.
I recall my backhand. I thought I was doing pretty well, but my wrist was bent, my grip was wrong, and my body position wasn’t square with the net. In other words, I had gotten very good at doing something very bad. Through hours of practice away from the coaching eye of my mother, I became an expert in poor backhand.
Have you gotten proficient at doing something very wrong? Peter, in his epistle, talks about people who practice doing the wrong thing and become experts in sin. They train themselves that way—with years of practice. We need to train ourselves to do the right thing. Paul tells Timothy to train himself to be godly. He says, “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).
As you live day in and day out, you are practicing either godliness or selfishness. It has been said, “The choices we make carve the shape we become.” If you want to do what is right, you had better train yourself in godliness. That means practice—every day. Remember, others are watching! “Let us, therefore, make every effort…so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience” (Heb. 4:11).
Don’t get good at doing something wrong. Instead make a choice today to live right. Train yourself to be godly.
Father God, you know how easily I fall into had habits in my thoughts, heart, and actions. Show me how to break one wrong habit and how to learn a godly one. Keep me from letting selfishness reign.
How God Redeems Regret, Hurt, and Fear to Make Better Humans
Pastor and author Scott Sauls joins Crystal Keating to talk about finding freedom from regret, hurt, and fear. Drawing from 25 years of pastoral experience, counseling people through seasons of difficulty, as well as his own bouts with anxiety and depression, Scott shares how Christ redeems our pain, not primarily by doing away with afflictions, but by making better people through them.
