I’m sure you have heard of the phrase “practice makes perfect.” It was drilled into me in school as I memorized my multiplication tables. Notice this quote from brainfacts.org:

“The old adage ‘practice makes perfect’ has been applied to many kinds of learning, from high school chemistry and creative writing to music and sports. While experts continue to debate the number of hours and the type of practice that is optimal for success, one thing is clear: training improves performance and changes the brain . . . With the advent of brain imaging technology, we now know that the human brain maintains the ability to modify its structure and function throughout life through a process called experience—or learning-dependent plasticity”(April 9, 2014, “Does Practice Make Perfect?” emphasis mine throughout).

That phrase by itself, however, is incomplete. We do not want to practice wrong habits or continue living in error or falsehood. In his book, considered the definitive textbook for military training, Kenneth R. Murray writes: “Everyone who has mastered any skill understands and appreciates the time and practice required to attain such mastery . . . First, remember that practice does not make perfect . . . perfect practice makes perfect.Don’t waste time learning and ingraining a skill that is wrong or inefficient. It takes a lot more repetitions to unlearn a bad habit than it does to learn the right habit in the first place. Work on form. First get good, and then get fast” (Training at the Speed of Life,Volume One, Page 120).

So, yes, we must be practicing the perfection that comes from God. But, we can’t just practice anything we want! Perfect practice makes perfect.

Ultimate faithfulness

The example of the prophet Daniel shows perfect practice making perfect—to the point where his detractors could find no fault in him. Note what was said of him in Daniel 6:4: “So the governors [presidents] and satraps [princes] sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault [corruption or negligence] found in him.”

The words corrupt and negligent help us define, by contrast, what it means to be faithful in our daily affairs. The word corrupt is the opposite of “honest” or “ethical,” and the word negligent is the opposite of “careful,” “thoughtful,” and “considerate.”

Faithfulness is the opposite of being fickle and unreliable. A faithful person follows through and is faithful to God and in one’s promises to other people. We deliver, we show up, we keep our word, we keep our appointments, we keep our commitments, we do our duty.

A fickle person changes his mind, switches loyalties, has switching standards, is unstable, compulsive, uncommitted. An unreliable person can’t be depended upon, can’t be trusted with responsibility. Yes, God wants to see us faithfully serve Him in obedience, but He also watches to see how faithful we are toward Him—not fickle or unreliable in our spiritual life.

So is God seeing faith toward Him in your life? Are you living faithfully each day, carrying out your spiritual duties as a son or daughter of God? Are you practicing this each day, becoming perfect as He is perfect? We don’t always do it perfectly. Sometimes we “crawl” by faith. We have our down times. But we get up off our knees, stop crawling and start walking again.

We use the spiritual talents God has given us and strengthen our faith and belief in what He is doing for us. We take on godly character. We persevere. We strive for the high calling of salvation, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we seek to grow in faith, to walk in faith, we have the promise of hearing our Father in Heaven say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Practice God’s way every day. Practice makes perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.