Maintenance Needed - By Grant Phillips - http://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips288.html
Have you ever noticed that most anything you can think of in this world needs to be maintained? Maintenance is always an issue in our lives. Wonder why that is? Could it have something to do with The Fall in the Garden of Eden? You think?
Name it: appliances, houses, vehicles, gardens, lawns, food, animals, and even humans. Because of The Fall corruption is everywhere. Everything is aging and succumbing to the elements.
I'm now in the latter years of my life, meaning I have fewer years ahead of me than are in my past. Comforting thought. I've also noticed that as the years pass by, more maintenance is needed. I guess a lot of us can identify with that.
Think about these basic issues. Who of us would leave the house without at least brushing our teeth and combing our hair? Most of us would even take the time to shower and put on clean clothes. Would we not? Yeah, I know. I've seen them too in the public arena, but I'm talking about most of us.
By the way, speaking of brushing our teeth and combing our hair, I'm always amused at the following: I'm watching a movie: Couple wakes up in the morning and she hasn't a hair out of place. She is even still wearing lipstick. He has no cow-lick after a night of sleep. And then, their faces are about an inch apart when they say, "Good morning." Now come on! Dragon breath! That isn't real life!
What would happen to us if we never showered, brushed our teeth, changed into clean clothes, and everything else that goes along with it? We wouldn't have many friends would we, unless maybe they do the same? It's odd how some people get used to bad hygiene after a long period of avoiding it. We don't notice it on ourselves or each other. We just get used to it. Sorry, but I just can't go there.
Now I've been talking about physical maintenance, but what about our spiritual maintenance? Most people do carefully tend to their physical needs, but from what I'm seeing in this God-forsaken world we live in, our spiritual needs require some immediate attention. Notice this. Some neglect the physical, but most are neglecting the spiritual, when they both require our utmost attention.
Billions of dollars have been spent by all of us to maintain and/or improve our physical needs and wants. The average man or woman thinks nothing of spending the time and money to restore what The Fall keeps breaking down. What effort has been made in our lives though toward our spiritual needs?
When we are sick, we go to the doctor. We want to get better, especially if it is something serious. Neither do we want a sickness to be neglected and eventually take us out of this world.
We are so fortunate to live in the 21st century. There are cures, medicines, treatments, and physicians for every area of our bodies. From the Internet I obtained this list of specialists in medicine: allergist or immunologist, anesthesiologist, cardiologist, dermatologist, gastroenterologist, hematologist/oncologist, internal medicine physician, nephrologist, neurologist, neurosurgeon, obstetrician, gynecologist, nurse-midwifery, occupational medicine physician, ophthalmologist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, orthopaedic surgeon, otolaryngologist, pathologist, pediatrician, plastic surgeon, podiatrist, psychiatrist, pulmonary medicine physician, radiation onconlogist, diagnostic radiologist, rheumatologist, and urologist.
Regardless of which century we live in, there has always been, still is, and always will be one physician we all need for our soul; i.e. the Great Physician.
"And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Luke 5:31-32)
Friends, we live in a sin-sick world, and only God has the answer. He says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Think about this. Most who die physically are dead spiritually and face only a judgment on the other side of the grave.
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
There's another problem though. Many who are alive spiritually (are true Christians) still need their spiritual life maintained and they are not maintaining it. The Lord said through the Apostle Paul, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) He also said through the same Apostle, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12)
These two verses, and others, are all about "the maintenance of our spiritual life." The few in this world who are true Christians need to get in the Word, get on their knees (figuratively speaking) and grow up spiritually. Some Christians do this, but many are still babes in Christ. They are not maintaining their spiritual lives, and it shows.
There's an old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." I believe that applies to people as well. We can encourage our brethren all day long to get in the Word with prayer, but only they can follow through. Those who have chosen to drink have found the waters to be very refreshing and their lives show it.
We in America have been petted, pampered and spoiled for many years, but that is about to disappear. I sincerely believe that even worse times than we can imagine are soon to befall our country, and the world for that matter. The leaders in our country from the top down are seeing to it that life as we once knew it is quickly fading away.
I can no longer recognize this country from the one I grew up in as a child. I know many of you feel the same. Satan and his crowd have taken over, and many of us still think everything will be okay. Friends, it isn't going to happen, and this is why it is so important for us as Christians to apply the spiritual maintenance our Lord has provided to our lives. We have His Word, the Bible, and we need to get into it. We have access to Him through prayer, and we need to take advantage of it. We have the Holy Spirit living within us, and we need to get out of His way and let Him guide us.
The Lord may come today for His Church (Rapture) and He may not. How bad is it going to get before He does come for us? I just don't know. None of us know, so we need to be ready for what is ahead, good or bad.
Even though I have never failed to vote since I was old enough to do so, and will continue to vote, I have come to the conclusion it is a waste of time. Democrat, Republican, and Independent it makes no difference. One side is pushing for socialism and is destroying the very fabric of our nation, while the other side is simply a silent partner.
We need to forget about our love for country and stoke the fire in our hearts for a burning love for our Savior and Lord. This is not our home anyway. Heaven is our home and we could all be there much sooner than we think.
I believe Jesus Christ is going to return very soon for His Church. That is only an opinion. Only the Father knows when He will tell the Son to go get His Bride. God has not left us in the dark though. He has given us His Word and told us certain things to watch for when He is ready to conclude the Church age and finish the seven years He previously set aside for Israel.
In the mean time we should work toward the spiritual maintenance of our souls so that when we do see Him He will say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:23) Our desire should be that we kneel before Him as a spiritual adult and not a spiritual babe.
Grant Phillips
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