Avoiding a Spiritual Breakdown

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. —Titus 3:8

Maintenance is one of the most important words in the English language. What would our lives be without maintenance? Everything requires maintenance—Homes, clothes, cars, roads, relationships, etc. When something is not maintained, it deteriorates very quickly.

A mechanic who used to work on my car gave me this wise advice; “Al, the oil in your car is the life blood of your engine. If you change your oil regularly, your car will last you a long time.”  A slogan I read recently reminded me of this fact—“Oil is cheap, engines are expensive.” Or, as one advertisement said, “You can pay me now, or you can pay me later.”

This is all in accordance with the scientific law of entropy and the 2nd Law of Thermodyamics—Everything runs down unless an outside force applies more energy to it:  The roof leaks (Eccl. 10:18); clocks run down; knives get dull; a flame goes out; and cars have a breakdown.

Your spiritual life also requires regular maintenance also (see text verse)! Paul wrote, “Let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful” (Titus 3:14). It is absolutely essential to maintain your communion with God through prayer, reading the Bible, and worship at church.

The opposite of maintenance is NEGLECT! If you do not maintain these good works, your spiritual life is heading for a breakdown.

It’s not magic—it’s maintenance!