This last week, I got a call from a tenant who said there was an issue with the water heater. After an inspection, I saw that there was a small leak, which indirectly caused the line to the pilot light to be compromised and was therefore not working properly. I did a small repair that allowed it to work again and bought a little time, but it is still in need of replacement, as the other issues won’t improve as time goes on. The issue is the same with most any mechanical thing, like a vehicle, as it gets used (or sometimes just sits) one part eventually wears out and renders the whole thing useless, unless that one part is repaired again. Even a new machine, when pushed to extreme speed or force, can be in danger of falling apart as well. How do you keep things from falling apart all around you?
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8
Our bodies are not much different that some machines. If we push ourselves to the limit of force or endurance, we eventually break down. If I get a foot or back injury, I take some time off running or other forceful activities (and avoid doing anything stupid) to give my body time to heal up. I’m not much into boxing or MMA fights, but if one competitor lets his guard down for even a couple seconds, that is enough time for his opponent to deliver a blow to knock him out. Despite the attitude of some teenagers, we are not as invincible as we think we are. Those injuries we sustain in our teens and twenties often come back to make a second appearance later in life. An injury, illness, or other chronic condition may knock us down to the point we realize that life can be fairly fragile at times, and we are much more aware of our own mortality.
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. James 4:14
What is your weakest link when it comes to your faith? We may be more prepared for an obvious attack from the enemy, but less prepared for some secret sin that slithers into our lives, so that we are often unaware of it at first. There is no shortage of examples or stories of leaders in the Christian faith that are discredited and taken out by some secret sin that they let take hold in their lives. There are more examples of those who live their lives well to the end, but these rarely make any headlines. Have people in your life that will hold you accountable, ask tough questions, and encourage you to live honorably to God and others in your life. The best prevention is having an active relationship with God through regular time in prayer and His Word. May you hold your head up as you go through this life to the end, and finish strong, despite inevitable setbacks along the way!
But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thesalonians 5:21-22
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Yours in Christ,
Clark
