In basketball the coach schedules times to train his team. These are called practices. Why? To develop players' skills and understanding of the plays and defenses. Faithfulness to practice is what makes players competent, good players. If that is all you want then you will learn the game and be able to play it but it probably isn't going to make you a great player, the Kobe Bryants, or Michael Jordans of the world. What made them different?

WORK ON YOUR GAME

So what's the difference? If you truly want to be great at something you must devote more time than just scheduled practices. Greatness is a result of an investment of time.

Now, how does this relate to the Christian life? You may be a Christian and trusting Jesus for your salvation, but the real question is, "What kind of Christian are you?" Are you just going to church and going through the motions, or are you working on "your game," daily spending time with Him through prayer and studying the Bible? Do you spend time with other Christians or only on Sunday? How about sharing your faith? We need to constantly be working on our game because when faced with the things in life we need to be ready to give our best.

Great players work on their game when no one is watching! Then when people are watching they can play their best. Be a great player!