Regularly Scheduled Maintenance

This morning I’m hanging out in the service department’s lobby while my car gets an oil change. The time had come!

What would have happened if I decided not to listen to my dashboard service reminder, and chose to wait it out until a more opportune time? What happens when you don’t get the oil changed regularly?

For those of us who might be wondering why it’s important, here’s what happens.

First of all, oil lubricates the engine and protects it and other critical moving parts from wear and damage. But dirt and debris make their way into the oil over time, which interferes with the process. Changing the oil gets rid of the dirty build-up, giving the engine a longer life.

Secondly, that build-up can affect engine performance and gas mileage. Dirty oil causes more friction in the engine, making it work harder and less efficiently. You can get more out of a tank of gas when the oil in your engine is clean!

Thirdly, nasty buildup in the oil causes more pollution output via the car’s exhaust. Want to know more? Check out this blog by liacars.com.

Regularly Scheduled Spiritual Maintenance

Just like our cars, our hearts need to be taken care of on a regular basis!

Just living in this world can cause a buildup of nasties that need to be purged regularly. Our heart attitudes need to be submitted to Christ and cleaned up much more often than every three months or 3,000 miles. One weekly church service is a start, but it’s not enough!

The longer it takes us to deal with the sinful attitudes in our lives, the stronger their roots grow deep into our habits, behaviors, and words. They begin to wear us down spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Do I even need to address the resulting pollution that spews out of our mouths?

Sometimes we don’t even realize how far we have drifted from being the light we are called to be. Taking time daily to read God’s Word and think about what it’s saying to us is one step toward seeing how we’ve gotten sullied by the grime surrounding us.

Coming to Christ daily, and sometimes even more often, is necessary for our own heart health, as well as for the witness we are called to live out before the world. I am so thankful for the promise of Scripture:

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

1 John 1:9 NLT

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Photo by Lucho Renolfi on Unsplash