As a young child, our home boasted a small pendulum clock. I can see it in my mind’s eye, a brown clock with accents of antique bronze and an etched glass door below the face that boasted two strange holes that were placed slightly below the center. This clock sat on a shelving unit in our living room. An odd looking key lay nearby.
Constant Rhythm
The rhythmic swing of the pendulum was a constant in my life. Every 30 days my dad would lift the latch on the little door and wind the clock with the peculiar looking key. This action is what provided the means for the timepiece to continue to keep perfect time.
If for some reason Dad would forget to wind the clock, the swinging pendulum would slow, and soon the clock face would reveal the neglected deed.
A Well-Tended Soul
Similarly, neglecting spiritual maintenance will manifest itself on the face of the soul. When our priorities become all about this temporary life neglect of the soul will follow.
There must be a steadfast determination to devote attention to eternal matters. We must recognize the importance of a well-tended soul. It does not happen by accident.
Is God important enough to you to be worthy of your attention? Are you giving attention to the upkeep of your soul?
Neglect of the Soul
The Israelites let themselves be drawn away from God, their Savior. Over and again, they neglected what at one time had been important to them. Their negligence became an ongoing hindrance to spiritual roots.
Jeremiah, the prophet, uses words like neglected, ignored, abandoned, scorned, refused, and rejected when referring to the actions of the Israelites. They no longer held God as Someone who was worthy of their careful attention.
Over time, that beginning act of negligence morphed into an outright arrogant rejection of God. We must come to grips with the fact that insufficient attention and sporadic upkeep will play havoc with our spiritual life.
The Key to Upkeep
Jesus shares a key word during His final hours in this world that will keep us from neglect of the soul. That central word is abide. This word picture of the vine and branch beautifully portrays our connection to Jesus.
The word abide means to remain or stay. When we are abiding in Jesus, soul growth happens. There is attention and care for our spiritual health, instead of neglect and abandonment.
Jesus becomes the constant rhythm of the soul as we remain in Him. This abiding or remaining in God is characterized by love and obedience.
As we remain in the Word, God’s Word remains in us. This abiding in God is what brings forth fruit. It is not the list of do’s and don’ts that make us holy. Attention to our connection with Jesus through a daily relationship with Him keeps the pendulum of our soul swinging in sync with Jesus.
In the book of John, the namesake clearly tells us in 15:9 that we can abide in Him, by obeying his commandments. This does not translate to a bunch of Pharisaical rules that we must keep. On the contrary, the one command that Jesus highlights in this passage is our love for each other.
Remain and Maintain
As we abide in Jesus, our love for Him prompts us to obedience. The obeying of the command to love others is what keeps us remaining. We come full circle.
This abiding, obeying, loving kind of life is what keeps us from the dangers of indifference and neglect. Jesus is our constant rhythm. Reliance on Him will keep us in perfect peace.
The face of our soul will reflect either careful attention or indifferent neglect. What will you choose?
Remember the importance of that key word abide. Remain in Him by obeying His commands. Loving God and loving others will sustain your soul.
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