By David Faust
That must have been a beautiful house when it was first built, I thought. While away from home on a speaking trip, I left my hotel room for a morning walk, and that’s when I noticed the crumbling house.
Perhaps about 75 years old, the three-story structure sat atop a grassy hill. Its unique architectural design featured covered porches and decorative windows, and its roof included elegant gables and a turret-like tower with a circular top.
Sadly, though, the house had fallen into disrepair. It looked abandoned, as if no one had lived in it for years. Some of its fancy windows were broken. The yard was littered with fallen tree limbs and an odd assortment of random vehicles and other junk. A red pickup truck sat unused in the driveway and two old cars were parked helter-skelter in the yard with their tires sunk into the ground. The front lawn featured a green above-ground gas tank, a yellow hydraulic lift, and a weather-beaten pontoon boat. A rusty metal wagon wheel leaned against the front porch.
I wondered, What made a home that once looked classy and inviting become so ugly and empty?
Your Life Is Like a House
Jesus told a story about a wise man who built his house on a rock while a foolish man built on sand (Matthew 7:24-27). Like houses, our lives need to be wisely constructed and carefully maintained. To illustrate the cost of discipleship, the Lord explained that before starting a building project, you should make sure you have enough money to finish it (Luke 14:28-30). Paul and Peter compared the church to a house or temple where Christ is the foundation and believers serve as the building blocks (1 Corinthians 3:9-17; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8).
It’s sad when a beautiful house falls into disrepair, but it’s worse to see a family, neighborhood, church, or nation crumble from neglect. Jesus warned that “every city or household divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25). The landscape of history is littered with fallen leaders and the rusty remnants of once-powerful governments.
Without Upkeep, There Will Be a Downfall
The Philistines were formidable foes of the Jews, but the prophet Zephaniah foresaw what was coming. Eventually the major cities of Philistia would be “abandoned” and “left in ruins” (Zephaniah 2:4). In its heyday, Assyria was a dominant military and economic force, but eventually onlookers would lament, “What a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts!” (2:15).
Zephaniah didn’t want the same thing to happen to God’s covenant people. He warned them, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3).
Organizations and relationships need regular maintenance and upkeep. It’s not enough to have a glamorous and expensive wedding; a husband and wife must work steadfastly to keep their marriage strong. Seasons of prosperity shouldn’t be taken for granted. The lasting health of a business, church, or nation requires constant vigilance.
“Unless the Lord builds the house,” the psalmist reminds us, “the builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). If there is no upkeep, there will be a downfall. And without God’s blessing, even a beautiful building eventually will crumble to the ground.
Personal Challenge: What relationship in your family, neighborhood, or church needs you to do some “maintenance” or repair work right now?
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
