But what would happen if I got tired of doing all that work and refused to do any maintenance? We could probably drive our cars without oil changes for quite a while and drive on tires with low air, and my car would still work fine without an inspection or a valid drivers’ license. But the battery replacement? The tanks of gas? The cars wouldn’t work at all without those! Eventually, the lack of oil changes and air in tires would catch up to me and seize up the engines and tear up our tires. And some day, a police officer would find out that my registration and license are out of date, and I’d be in big trouble!
Our spiritual lives need maintenance as well. We need regular prayer to keep our relationship with God fresh. We need scripture reading to keep our minds on God’s purposes. We need to worship God regularly to keep our perspectives in line. We need to gather with God’s people as a church to encourage each other.
You might be fine for a while without some of those things, but eventually, your spiritual life will suffer. You’ll drift farther away from God. You’ll lose your peace and feel more stress. You’ll start to forget your purpose in life. Let’s not let any of that happen—keep your spiritual life in order!