Preventive maintenance

I will strengthen you and help you (Isaiah 41:10).

Preventive maintenance is important. Cars and trucks are expensive investments; you protect such investments by making sure the oil gets changed, the tires are rotated, and maintenance is arranged as soon as the check engine light comes on. If you ignore doing routine maintenance, you may wind up stranded somewhere or forced to pay a large repair bill.

Preventive medical care is even more important. Regular exercise lessens the risk of heart disease. Vaccinations can prevent you from getting sick. Cancer screenings and stress tests can identify problems early on, making treatment easier and more effective. The same applies to dental check ups and eye examinations. Although it involves some time and out-of-pocket expense, preventing health problems or catching them early on is much better than dealing with cancer or diabetes that has had time to become a crippling problem.

Our spiritual health requires routine maintenance as well. Without regular check ups, your inner self can also degrade without your being aware of it. A couple of impulsive decisions can soon develop into a pattern of problem behavior; it doesn’t take long to slip into the rut of a nasty and miserable habit.

The Son of God did more than just heal physical ailments; Jesus also treated problems of the heart and mind, illnesses of the soul. Regrettably, sin is a chronic problem—like cancer or alcoholism, the best we can hope for in this life is to experience remission. People in remission understand the importance of routine check-ups. On a regular basis, cancer survivors visit a doctor and alcoholics go to AA meetings. Thanks to Jesus, we are survivors too—He has rescued us from the eternal death that sin otherwise results in. But like anyone who is in remission, we need routine care to stay spiritually healthy. That care includes time spent reading the Bible, where God helps us understand our condition and reassures us that His treatment is effective. That ongoing care includes worshiping God in church with others who are in remission, where the LORD helps us see where we’ve gone wrong, and uses us to offer mutual encouragement and hold each other accountable.

Make time with Christ an essential part of your routine; without His ongoing support, your spiritual health is far from insured.