Children are full of great ideas that often fizzle out into nothing. Esther loves to staple papers together to make a book she is going to write. She sets off with great enthusiasm (her beginnings are very good; her illustrations apt.) But it’s rare that she makes it past chapter 1 and I have lots of unfinished booklets in my house. Most of us recognise this tendency in our own lives; how many of us have started the year full of zeal for a project (losing weight, house renovation, new hobby etc.) only to find our dedication petering away by the end of January?!
Unfinished work was the problem at the church in Sardis, according to Rev 3:1-6: ‘I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.’ We often start well with God, brimful with enthusiasm, devoted to prayer, reading the Bible, attending church services and speaking to other people about all that God has done for us. But all too often, these things – basics which are needed throughout our lives – fade away. Busyness creeps in and we don’t have time to pray. Weariness creeps in and it’s easier to doze or scroll through social media than read the Bible. A host of opportunities means we miss meetings and somehow we get out of the routine; surely God doesn’t mind? Before we know it, we have as many unfinished deeds at our feet as I have unfinished booklets in my house…
God’s answer is threefold: ‘Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.’ (Rev 3:3) Back to basics is not a political slogan; it is an everyday truth. Maybe we need to pick up the Bible again, spend some time in prayer, go to church or talk to a friend about God. No one else can do this for us. We have to do it ourselves.