In Nashville, you don’t have to walk far to hear a world-class musician. They may not be famous, but they are a world-class talent just the same. There are men and women in this town who can touch their instrument with such passion you will find yourself crying and not know why. Then, that same person will touch that same instrument with such energy your feet will get up and dance by themselves.
As you watch them play, you’ll find yourself wishing you could plan music like that. Here’s the catch–you might be able to play music like that if you’re willing to spend not hours, not days, but years learning how to play. They call it “woodshedding”. It’s from the time when all of the blues players lived on farms in the south and they would practice their music behind the woodshed. Some of these artists would spend months behind the woodshed learning a particular lick before they ever played it in public.
In music, like everything else in life, there are no shortcuts.
And there are no short cuts when it comes to following Christ. If you want to be more like Christ, you’ll have to spend more time with Christ. It’s that simple. Now, it may not be easy, but it is simple.
The more time you spend in prayer, Bible Study, and engage with other believers who are serious about their walk, the more and more you’ll find yourself being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
That’s it.
One of the most frustrating parts of my ministry has been the number of people who tell me they want to be more like Christ and they’re looking for a book to read (not the Bible) or a class to take. They won’t do the fundamentals.
Listen, if you want to get better at playing the piano, you play scales.
If you want to get better at basketball, you dribble and dribble.
And if you want to get serious with Jesus, you pray and study the Bible.
Those are the fundamental disciplines of following Christ. You have to master those before anything else happens.
