When we began negotiations to purchase our new home, the previous owner thought he had a jewel to sell. When we came to him with a much lower offer than his asking price, he was shocked. Why was our offer so low? Because the man had not maintained his house. It was a solidly built house, and was probably very nice when it was built 15 years ago, but the owner had done little to it in that time, and his college-age son had abused it when the father retired and moved to Florida. Yet, in his mind, his house was in great shape and worth every dollar he was asking. Of course, reality set in when the inspection report came in and we refused to come even close to his asking price. As I told our realtor, you have to maintain your investment if you expect it to retain its value.
I think this often happens to us in our spiritual lives, too. We can easily get into the mindset that not much is required of us to maintain our relationship with the Lord. We made that initial investment back when we acknowledged Jesus as our Savior and Lord and can expect to “cash in” on its full value when our lives come to an end. But as with maintaining a home, that is not how it works.
In the fallen world in which we live, everything is bending toward deterioration—houses, roads, cars, bodies. If you don’t maintain them, they will go downhill gradually and then pick up speed. The same is true with our spiritual lives. We may start out on fire, ready to change the world for Jesus, but if we allow the things of life to distract us and consume our energy to the point we have nothing left to give to our relationship with the Lord, then it will naturally go south.
The context of Paul’s admonition is some the believers in Philippi have reached a spiritual plateau—a danger zone where proper maintenance is required. Their spiritual high is receding and they are leveling out, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Spiritual highs are great, but they don’t last forever. But the danger lies with the downward momentum. Sometimes, if we are not watchful, it can carry us off the plateau into the valley. And Paul was well aware of this. So he challenges them not to go backwards, but to maintain where they are.
So what does that look like? Here are some examples: If you have begun to read the Scriptures or to pray on a regular basis, don’t stop. If you have begun to tithe, don’t give into the temptation to cease when things get a little tough financially. If you decided to end a relationship because it was spiritually unhealthy for you, don’t pursue another similar relationship even if the person is extremely attractive. If you have recognized a lie the devil has been telling you, don’t go back to believing it once again.
Today, recognize, like everything else in life, your relationship with the Lord has to be properly maintained or it will naturally deteriorate. As Paul admonishes, at least live up to what you have already attained. But better yet, pursue even more. The value of your investment will be determined by what you put into it.
© Jim Musser 2014
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