This year ending just as last?

How to fix cycles of weak progress

Greetings beloved of the only Wise and True GOD—The Father of Jesus.

I have a question for you…

Can you recall one single person in the Gospels asking Jesus for help that He ever said “No!” To?

No?

Me neither (well, except one)*

And so because GOD is LOVE, we already know He’s very willing to help us.

Comforting eh?

Yet…

If the LORD has limitless authority and power,

Then why do some saints, year after year, over and over… plunge from one year into another with crushing disappointment over their progress?

For them, heading into Autumn their year lines up pretty much to finish… just the same as their last.

Life is busy enough. Prayer goes up. 

Work is being done. 

Time passes.

Yet at harvest time—there is no harvest.

Slim pickings. Or no fruit.

When after the summer there should be oodles of it harvested before winter.

Why though?

That’s the BIG question.

And thankfully scripture hands a big answer to help us.

What springs to mind when you read this?

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2 KJV

For me (and I may be utterly wrong remember)… 

Three words here in Hebrews give the game away as to why cycles of weak progress occur.

‘Jesus the author’

Now we have that locked in, let’s skip over to John’s comment…

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

John 21:25 NIV

Here we see…

1. There is an author (Jesus).

2. There are lots of books.

And now to my point…

Not only are there books in the library and records department in heaven… there are reports too.

All sorts of reports.

Reports on the climate of earth and state of our water. 

The current pace of human science and genetics (er… that’s an interesting one too btw)…

What the angels are up to… etc.

And finally of course…

The reports on you.

Yet for the purpose of our short exploration of divine data collection… let’s look at one in particular,

Your report card for the year.

Now without going back under the Law or any such practices, think on this.

We only have a few short days before the run up to what’s known by Jews as ‘the Head of the Year’ at Rosh Hashanah (New Year)… and then Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement).

Collectively these are known as the Days of Awe.

Why are they important?

Well, consider…

If Jesus is our ‘Teacher’ as the NIV, ESV states [Matt 8:19 etc]. (Which to western minds is easier to grasp than ‘Rabbi’ perhaps)…. 

Then everything should become clear.

Because.

When any teacher worth their salt finishes up teaching their students,

They ALWAYS make sure they test the class by giving them…

An exam

It closes out the year.

And in some schools

If you pass…

You go UP into a new class for the New Year.

You get a PROMOTION in a sense.

And go on to better, higher things in the next year.

If not.

You are SENT BACK AGAIN.

Eek…

To relearn the exact same thing you should have learned the previous year.

As such, some students stay stuck in the same year for a long time

Getting older and older. While young new classmates whiz past them.

Interesting eh?

Anyway,

Let’s think about this as Bible believing Christians.

What if know we have botched this year (or even a few years).

We know we played fast and loose with the year.

Well if I may be frank with you.

The answer is…

Jesus may keep us in the same class next year.

Why though?

What about grace you ask?

Actually,

You are spot on…

His grace grants us a whole extra year to try again.

This is the scripture for you…

‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’

And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Luke 13:7-9 ESV

GOD knows when we are way off, when we just ‘don’t get it.’ Or even when we just dig our heels in and resist His direction.

So despite our frustration. Even embarrassment at ‘going round the same old mountain’ again. He sends us back to resit the same lessons again.

(This is called… grace).

That said…

Remember also,

Heaven isn’t just a dry dusty place stuffed with report cards is it?

Absolutely not!

No.

Up there, at a very special desk sits our Great Teacher reading.

Lying open before Him is one of the books He’s written.

Yours.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:16 ESV

And I have great news for you.

Our Teacher writes in PENCIL.

Not only can Jesus write stuff into your book (for example what the angels tell Him you were working on during the last week etc),

He can also…

Rub out what’s written about you… (yup, even a bad report card or two :),

And.

REWRITE IT

Nothing is sealed yet. Your final chapter is open.

Yet, shortly it will close. And the ink on your story will be sealed forever… 

Then nothing can ever change it.

Not even Jesus.

So.

Now is the time to seek the LORD.

For these are the days of awe.

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.”

Proverbs 14:27 KJV

Be wise saint.

And revise :)

The LORD has much ahead for you to do.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.”

Zechariah 3:6-7 NIV

Bless you.

Dave

PS Rosh Hashanah begins on Friday 15 SEP—Sunday 17 SEP 2023. Yom Kippur Sunday 24—Monday 25 SEP 2023. 

*Even The Syrophoenician Woman got what she asked for didn’t she?

Despite Jesus knocking her back, testing her faith…

Aha… there it is again eh?

Hmmm… a test… and PRAISE GOD, she passed!

Jesus will and does, test us too dear one so be of good cheer and… revise ;)

“Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 

And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs.” 

And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 

And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.”

Mark 7:26:30 NIV