Good Morning to All,
Psalm 68:35; “God, the God of Israel, is awe-inspiring in his holy
place. He gives strength and power to his people. Thanks be to God!"
I had a neighbor
who has an automotive/fix-it shop. His
wife was our mail carrier. She drove a
little pickup that had over 300, 000 miles on it. I think it helped that he was a
mechanic. It seemed about every other
week or so, he would have this little pickup up on the hoist and he was
changing oil or replacing u-joints, or bushing, or brakes. He was always fixing or replacing
something. Maintenance is always
important to keep the vehicle running right.
We used to notice this when we would go to
farm sales where the sales were somewhat distressed. That is the farmer didn’t want to sell but
couldn’t afford to keep farming. You
could see that often the maintenance of the equipment was not what it should
have been. You knew how it worked. Maintenance takes money, when money is tight
often maintenance is pushed down the list.
Yet it never takes long for this lack of maintenance costs more in the
long run. It often shortens the lifespan
of the equipment plus you end up spending more on repairs as well.
Our faith life is a lot like taking care of
a car or other equipment. You need to do
the maintenance in order for it to work properly. You need to do the maintenance so that the
equipment works when you need it the most.
This is true of our faith life as well.
Now this doesn’t mean that we have to work on our salvation; that is
already settled by God’s mercy. Because
of this mercy, God gives us the grace to face our daily struggles. He gives us His Spirit to help us as we deal
with our daily struggles. He gives us
the gift of His Words of forgiveness, his sacraments, and the gift of prayer
and of His written Word. We also have
the gift of His Church, the body of believers, who are there to comfort and
console us. These gifts are all there
for us to face the daily grind of our life here on earth.
But we must use them and often. This is how we maintain our faith. We need to regularly attend worship services. This is where we hear God’s Words of forgiveness
and grace spoken to us. We can hear the
precious joy of God’s pronouncement of his unwavering love for us. We need to share in Holy Communion with our
brothers and sisters in Christ. This
nourishing of the spirit and soul will strengthen the bond of fellowship with
our fellow believers. We need to spend
time in the study of God’s Word and in prayer.
This is the rhythm of our devotional life that can serve as a major part
of our maintenance program. God gives us
the tools and the desire to follow through with them. So do your maintenance every day!
Gracious
Father, you give strength and power to us as we face the daily struggles of
this life. Guard us by your Spirit and
move us to maintain our faith in you. Move us to search your Word, to partake in
your sacrament, and to trust wholly in you.
Be with those who have let their maintenance lag. Help them to return to the safety of your
loving arms. This we ask in the precious
name of Jesus, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
