“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse.”
Mark 2:21
As we head into autumn, many of our members are getting ready for a quiet season, or off-peak period when the busyness and pace of the summer months draw to a close. For conference centres and retreat venues, autumn and winter offers an unrivalled opportunity to go into ‘maintenance mode’, a time to refresh their physical surroundings, restock supplies and get ready for next spring when their peak season draws round again. But why is this so important? In this month’s blog, we thought we’d take a look at what scripture says on the importance of good property management, and why it’s so integral to faithful stewardship.
Why maintain things before they are broken?
There’s an old British idiom: “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. When we are looking for the best ways to save money, and make our limited resources go further, it can often feel like the most prudent decision to only fix the broken things, and get the most use out of everything we have for as long as we can, until it needs replacing.
But is this the best use of our time and money, and is this how God calls us to manage the resources with which he has blessed us?
Right at the beginning of creation, the first task given to man, when placed in the Garden of Eden, was “to care for it and to maintain it” (Genesis 2:15). In Mark’s Gospel, as Jesus calls his first disciples, we are given a picture of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, mending or maintaining their nets (Mark 1:19). These examples give an insight into God’s will that we should practice proper maintenance to keep our material things in good order.
Throughout the books of the Kings and Chronicles, Israel’s most faithful kings are exemplified by their instinct to repair the temple in Jerusalem (Joash, Josiah). But this need to undergo extensive repair work is only because the sins of their predecessors has led to the temple being in disrepair in the first place. They have neglected their God, and in turn his temple. We should avoid reaching this stage, as it does not honour that which God has given to us.
So when we turn to scripture, the message we are given is, yes we should repair when things have been damaged, but God really prefers us to continually look after his provision, and avoid leaving things to fall into disrepair.
Looking ahead ...
So which approach does your organisation adopt: are you getting ready to go into full “maintenance mode”, or will you put off the work for as long as possible, and hope for best?
Of course, for organisations who don’t get a quiet season, it may be that ‘Make Do and Mend’ is all you can manage, but even if that’s the case, here at CSCBG we’re always happy to help you find the best deals to make your ministry go even further.
For example, we have just secured great new discounts with B&Q (10%) & Screwfix (5%), which organisations and individuals can benefit from; get in touch with our team today, or register for free to become a Christian Supply Chain member and help make your ministry go further.