Each year I try to always schedule yearly check-ups for the kids or for myself during the summer months. That eliminates having to worry about morning vs. an afternoon appointment, leaving school, having to get a substitute, arranging rides for the kids who don't have appointments...so many logistics for just a simple check up.
Then we get to the summer months and I wonder why I'm running around trying to get all our doctor's appointments in. In some ways I wish there really wasn't a need for these visits.
As much as they are a nuisance, there is a two-fold reason why I continue to keep these appointments: for maintenance and prevention. That may actually sound more like I'm heading to a mechanic instead of the doctor; but if you think about it, check ups enable us to make sure our bodies are still working correctly and that nothing out of the ordinary cropped up since our last visit. Even the tiniest changes, such as in the shape of a mole or the growth of a new lump, could actually be the start of something rather serious. In that case, early detection and treatment could mean the difference between life or death.
The same thing can be said for our spiritual lives as well.
A few weeks ago a visiting preacher brought a message from the Biblical account of the children of Israel as they waited for Moses to come down from the mountain where he was speaking to God. I believe the Israelites grew restless and idle in their waiting, which then led to them complaining to their interim leader Aaron, Moses's brother. Aaron's bright idea was to collect all the gold from the camp and construct a golden image so the people could worship a god they could actually see.
I can only imagine Moses' surprise and anger when he comes back to camp. He had just spent forty days up on the mount talking with God, and here are God's own people dancing around this golden calf. Aaron weaves a tale that they just threw the gold in the fire and out jumped this calf; but in reality, there's a deeper issue that this story reveals: these people did not just wake up one morning and decide to worship an idol. This took thought, design, work, craftsmanship...and more than one day. It was little things like complacency, discontentment...a complaining spirit that slowly turned their hearts from God.
Could early detection and treatment of these seemingly "little things" saved an entire nation from God's judgement? Yes, yes it could have. That's why it's so important to do DAILY (not yearly) check ups in our spiritual life; to deal with sin immediately, to pray as the Psalmist prayed Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:24-25)
Don't wait for the summer for much needed spiritual check ups. These need to be done often to maintain a healthy relationship with the Lord.
Simply Scheduling Check-Ups,
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