Maintenance
Ecclesiastes 10:18
The words of the preacher/writer show a sub-theme in
Ecclesiastes ten: his observations about a land (nation) and the king (leader).
This is developed in Eccl. 10:16-20. Part of that is this statement: “Because of
laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.” As
applied by leaders and in nations, it is not wise to wait for problems to occur,
then quickly put together some remedy. There needs to be a pro-active emphasis
on prevention. One good step in that direction is the simple work of
maintenance.
Among other things, I’ve always preached maintenance to my children. They were
taught to clean their rooms, organize their belongings and keep their toys in
working condition (for at least a week). Later, I trained them in the “old
school” of car owners: change the oil every 3,000 miles or three months; follow
the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule; rotate tires; have brakes checked
regularly. The typical response was, “I can’t afford to do all of this
maintenance.” My answer was, “you cannot afford not to maintain the vehicle.”
An absence of maintenance can kill a local church. While building maintenance
ought to have a place, that’s not the kind of maintenance I’m writing about
here. Maintenance in the local church must take the form of good oversight (1
Pet. 5:2), reverent order in worship (1 Cor. 14:40), discipline (1 Cor. 5; 2
Thess. 3:14) and sound teaching (Titus 1:9, 2:1). When any of this work is
slighted by idleness or corruption, “the building decays.”
Maintenance is crucial to the quality of marriage. Marriages do not
automatically grow stronger over time. Both must be committed to the Lord and
each other, then grow together in that commitment. Both must humbly admit their
mistakes and seek forgiveness. Both must learn the patience of Christ and show
the love He displayed. Both must refuse the destructive worldly influences, the
temptations of the workplace, and the consuming career orientation that can
gradually erode the relationship. A periodic marriage check-up may put you
behind! Get up daily, honor your mate, work on the relationship and seek God’s
help. “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators
and adulterers God will judge,” (Heb. 13:4). Fail in this and “the building
decays.”
Let each of us stand fast in the purpose of personal maintenance. Many become
alienated from God gradually through years of simple neglect. Bible reading is
left undone; prayer is only said in crisis; attendance becomes a Sunday morning
ritual; we loose sight of the value of the gospel, and we let the world dominate
who we are. Through lack of personal maintenance, we trample the Son of God
underfoot, count the blood of the covenant unworthy and insult the Spirit of
grace (Heb. 10:29). If you fear this could happen to you, get busy now before
“the building decays.” “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is
profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that
which is to come,” (1 Tim. 4:8).
“Attention to the counsels and admonitions of God’s Word cannot fail to be
serviceable in delivering us from temptations to slothfulness.” (D. Thomas,
Pulpit Commentary, Prov. 10:18, Homilies).
By Warren E. Berkley
From Expository Files 12.6; June 2005
