October 7

“By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of hands the house droppeth through” (Ecclesiastes 10:18).

We built our home in 1992.  This year has been a year of the beginnings of repairs.  We have needed to replace our heater, and our deck needs to be replaced.  We have painted numerous times, and wallpapered as well.  We have had our driveway painted with a black tar kind of paint, and our siding has needed some help as well.  What should we expect?  We have lived here for over twenty years!  Just as our physical homes need to be repaired, our spiritual home needs to be taken care of as well.

What are you doing to keep up with the spiritual grind that takes place in every Christian’s life?  Are you spending time refreshing your heart spiritually like you must refresh the paint in your house?  Are you refilling your spiritual reservoir everyday like you make sure there is fuel for your heater for the winter?  Are you walking around your spiritual life making a list of things that could use some attention like you walk around your house looking to see what needs to be fixed?

Your spiritual life is far more important than your physical house.  This verse in Ecclesiastes tells us that if we neglect a home it will decay and fall down.  In the same way, God gave us an opportunity to have a relationship with Him that requires some time and attention!  How much time do you give to this important relationship?  Let me give you some things that have helped me in keeping my spiritual life on track.

I know that I need to read, study, memorize, meditate and obey the Bible every day of my life.  I am old enough now that I don’t have anyone standing over my shoulder telling me that I must read the Bible.  I am at a point in my life that the decisions that I make are not only affecting me personally, but also affect my wife, our children and even our grandchildren.  I want to make sure that I am staying connected to the foundation that God gave me to live a righteous life-style in an unrighteous world.

I need to pray every day.  The problems I am facing are far beyond me and I need the help of God.  I need to spend time with more mature believers to be challenged by them to live godly, and I need to spend time with younger believers to challenge them to do the same.  I need to have someone to disciple because I want to live in a way that is worthy of their following in my footsteps.  Take care of your spiritual life today!  Don’t let it decay!