Psalm 31:6 NLT

'I hate those who worship worthless idols. I trust in the LORD.'

Throughout my life, God has never entrusted me with much money. I am not especially good with utilising money. That comes from a lack of interest in money as a thing. Growing up, pre-Christian, a cross between a hippy and a rocker, I had no interest in owning stuff. It wasn’t that I was especially noble or politically motivated, I just never developed an appetite to own things. There is an upside; I didn’t have much to cart around when we moved house. However, the downside is that I failed to develop any skills in making or managing money.

QUESTION: How do you process the endless stream of marketing that envelops you every day?

PRAYER: Lord, give me a generous spirit and help me to trust you with my daily needs.

Psalm 31:4 NLT

Pull me from the trap my enemies set for me, for I find protection in you alone.

I am by nature a confident person; confident in my self-assurance. However, since I am wired more as an introvert than an extrovert, I am not a fan of social gatherings, especially with people I don’t know. The problem with my self-confident, introvert self, is that I find it easy to take decisions, but these can be in a vacuum occupied solely by myself. Having made the decision, although clear on the basis on which I made it, having taken it in my vacuum, I fail to disclose the basis of that decision to others and then am surprised when they struggle to agree with my decision.

My Achilles’ heel is obvious. Failure to communicate effectively with others means that I can advance with only my own narrow understanding of the dangers that lie along my chosen path. These dangers may be sufficient to bring me down, drain my enthusiasm, or provoke me to withdraw. Of these, the latter is my preferred option. While I can persevere in faith, holding fast to the promise of God, when things appear to deteriorate relationally, I have few apparent skills to work that out, and prefer to walk away and put distance between myself and others.

So it is to God I look for guidance, and part of that is entering into conversation with his servants. I need to be located in a small group that is not simply a social club like so many have become, but where like-minded friends of God are together to talk honestly, listen attentively, support practically and progress simply. This is not a friendship circle, although friendships form, it is rather a lifeboat to navigate life’s storms in honesty and together.

Such groups are never church, although they include scripture, prayer and even a meal. Individuals always retain their relationship with their preferred church tradition, but find an honest space to steer a course through life, offering support to those who join them in the lifeboat.

QUESTION: Do you have a group in which you can confide your struggles and battles?

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the gift of friendship; may the fellowship we share lead to growth in love and grace.

Psalm 31:1 NLT

'O Lord, I have come to you for protection; don’t let me be disgraced. Save me, for you do what is right.'

Some years ago I lead a retreat to Glendalough in County Wicklow, Ireland. It is renowned for a large Celtic monastic site that was founded in the sixth century by St Kevin. It is well worth a visit. Just inside the entrance etched into the wall are a Celtic cross and a large fixed ring. If someone fleeing from the authorities reached the monastery and grasped hold of this ring, then they could claim sanctuary, placing themselves under the authority of the monastery. They enjoyed freedom from secular prosecution for twelve months, over which time they determined if they would yield all of their life and property to God and take vows. If not, then they were handed back to the authorities.

Sanctuary is a metaphor for our own grasping hold of God and asking for both forgiveness and mercy. We are never freed from life’s difficulties, but know that God is faithful and will sustain us since we have yielded our lives and property to him. Sometimes the demands of life place choices before us. Will we continue with God, or take back control and take our chances in a turbulent world?

The psalmist speaks of seeking refuge (NIV). Just as someone sought sanctuary in the monastery, so we are placing all of our trust in the integrity and faithfulness of God. We have the power to yield, yet no power to influence the outcome. Our trust is based upon a promise, and promises are difficult to establish in law. A promise is always dependent upon someone keeping their word and can appear very insubstantial. Yet, promise is all we have in return for our commitment.

QUESTION: Have you taken refuge in God?

PRAYER: Lord, may my hope and trust be in you today.

Titus 2:11-12 NLT

'For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God…'

I am a serial learner. I’ve moved from my undergraduate degree through a Masters and onto a PhD. I continue to study for various certificates because I love both the learning and being part of a learning community. What this has taught me, apart from my love of learning, is that to achieve anything demands discipline and hard work. The walk of faith is no different.

My PhD is in Syriac, a living language that is a form of Aramaic. While I can struggle through translation with a grammar book and dictionary in hand, if I were to visit a Syriac-speaking community, in, say, Aleppo, I would be lost. I wouldn’t be able to follow the speed of conversation nor apply grammatical rules to decode the sentences, even if I knew the words.

So it is with Christianity. We can, of course, with appropriate notes, sermons and books, grasp the substance of scripture. Yet, unless we immerse ourselves in the principles and practice of a vibrant Christian culture, we might be forgiven for failing to demonstrate the validity of our message. As a new Christian, I still drank too much. Discovering drunkenness was not commended by the Bible, I still drank, only I didn’t show up drunk to church gatherings. Hypocrisy was seeded early in my Christian walk. Deception I found both easy and rather too natural. Then God spoke and I felt uncomfortable about both the extent of my drinking and the degree to which I controlled the number of drinks I consumed, or if the drink was starting to control me, which I think it was.

So I came seeking support. I spoke out my questions. I was not condemned but supported, and others wiser than me helped be develop a means to manage my drinking. And it worked. So with the Christian life; we need to be convinced we want to live as God instructs, seek advice when needed and develop a disciplined approach that helps replace godless living with godly living.

QUESTION: How well have you succeeded in turning your back on godless living?

PRAYER: Lord, help me live a godly life not to earn your grace but to display it.

Titus 2:9 NLT

'Slaves must always obey their masters and do their best to please them. They must not talk back.'

The word ‘slave’ conjures up images of people being ruthlessly exploited for the profit of their owner. However, in Greek and Roman society, slaves might be highly skilled individuals. They served as accountants and physicians. Unskilled slaves, or those reduced to slaves as punishment, led the brutal, short lives we associate with slavery. Indeed, in Rome slaves were regularly adopted as sons by the family they served and enjoyed the benefits that went with their new legal status.

We are slaves of Christ, while we are also adopted sons and heirs. Our status as ‘beloved’ is never in doubt. Yet, our responsibility to develop and deploy our skills in honouring our master and Father is paramount. In a society in which we invite people to work on zero hours contracts, recruit low-wage workers from different parts of the world and basically design the whole of our economy around the sole value of profit, we run the risk of turning a legitimate workforce into no more than wage slaves.

The principle God instructs us to adopt is one in which we assume that whatever we do we are serving him and reflecting kingdom values. As a worker, I am to prove diligent, reliable, trustworthy and compliant. The employer is equally required to honour God first and treat the workforce with respect, deal honestly, reward appropriately and maintain healthy communication and care. We share a common humanity as well as a common God.

The current state of the workplace reveals more about the dangers of the love of money dethroning God. Scripture teaches we cannot love both (Matthew 6:24). There is no problem with working to improve the quality of life for all. Yet, if only a few boats rise on an incoming tide of wealth creation, we run the risk of returning to the worst aspects of slavery.

QUESTION: How do you view work?

PRAYER: Lord, help me today to work in a way that honours and pleases you.