Day 40 - Paying the price

Read: Philemon 17-18

THEME: Living up to a name can be hard work. All it takes is for someone, maybe even ourselves, to set a target that makes us feel incompetent. Our role-model for turning this around is a runaway servant named Onesimus.

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We have been on quite a journey with Onesimus but, before we leave the story, let us focus for a moment on Paul. We have spoken of the importance of Paul’s preaching, praying and writing, and yet the letter that Paul sent to Philemon revealed one more aspect of Paul’s commitment to Onesimus: he was prepared to cover any debt that Onesimus might have incurred. Paul’s determination not to be hindered by his house arrest seemed limitless.

Of course, Paul’s willingness to cover any debt was not the only evidence of his readiness to pay the price. Paul’s whole life was a testimony to his eagerness to pay any price to express his gratitude to God for his own transformation. Helping others to experience theirs was a privilege.

If we want to follow Paul’s example, here are three useful lessons that we can hold on to: do not look at your limitations, trust in the transforming power of the Gospel, be as patient and encouraging with others as others have been with you.

Will that mean that we shall see many respond in the way that Onesimus did? In short we shall have to leave that with the Lord but we can all do the work of an evangelist as we share with people and care for people in a spirit of love and gratitude as we journey on together.

Let us always be ready to answer everyone who asks a reason for the hope that is in us.

Day 39 - Relating afresh

Read: Philemon 15-16

THEME: Living up to a name can be hard work. All it takes is for someone, maybe even ourselves, to set a target that makes us feel incompetent. Our role-model for turning this around is a runaway servant named Onesimus.

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One of the most telling phrases in the letter that Paul wrote on behalf of Onesimus to Philemon concerned their future relationship. The restoration programme Paul had begun with Onesimus had already achieved so much. He had discovered a change of heart and a change of mind, which, together with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit and the help of a fellow-believer, meant that he had begun to live up to his name. The next phase was for him to go back to Philemon as a servant, but in doing so he would have to seek to build a relationship with his employer as a brother in the Lord.

Eventually Onesimus would have taken his courage in both hands and returned to Philemon. On reaching Philemon’s home he would have known it was not the end of the journey but just beginning. He would have received a welcome that was very different from the scourging he would have played out in his mind on each step of his outward journey. Paul had assured him that he had written ahead but there was still work to be done.

In Rome Onesimus had discovered a forgiveness that now had to be lived out in practice. A relationship had to be re-built and it had to be a relationship of mutual trust. Onesimus had things to prove, but he had the proof of God’s faithfulness as his starting point.

Let us remember that, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.

Day 38 - Facing the past

Read: Philemon 12

THEME: Living up to a name can be hard work. All it takes is for someone, maybe even ourselves, to set a target that makes us feel incompetent. Our role-model for turning this around is a runaway servant named Onesimus.

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Onesimus was thriving in Rome, enjoying his fellowship with Paul and doing all he could to ease the challenges Paul faced under house arrest. It was a great setting in which to grow but for a runaway servant it was still an escapist environment. One day Onesimus would have to face the pain of his past, not just the pain he had felt himself in leaving, but the pain his departure had inflicted on others.

Paul in his wisdom had waited whilst he had seen Onesimus grow in confidence and discover his true usefulness. He had allowed him to become established in his new life, treating him as a brother and fellow believer. The day came, though, when Paul recognised that Onesimus was strong enough to face the return journey and Paul was prepared to do everything possible to help.

Many under house arrest would have felt paralysed but Paul was never one to be bound by his chains. He had continued to preach. Crowds were impossible, but one-to-one was ideal. He had continued to pray, and his prayer meetings were powerfully informed by well-travelled emissaries from caring churches. And he had continued to write, so he took up his pen and wrote to Philemon, Onesimus’s employer.

There are ways of supporting those who are having to face their past.

‘Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.’

Day 37 - Useless to useful

Read: Philemon 11, 13-14

THEME: Living up to a name can be hard work. All it takes is for someone, maybe even ourselves, to set a target that makes us feel incompetent. Our role-model for turning this around is a runaway servant named Onesimus.

It is not easy to have a name that means ‘useful’ when you have run away from your job as a servant. To his employer, Onesimus had become anything but useful, but fortunately he had run to Rome and found a fresh start when meeting his employer’s friend Paul.

‘Useful’ could now become truly useful, but old mind-sets can persist. After years of being intimidated by the irony of a name that left no room for shortcomings, it would be tempting to remain in a state of presumed defeat. It takes courage to break out and to start looking outwards rather than to keep gazing within. The sight of Paul in chains may have jolted Onesimus out of any self-pity. Paul would not have asked for assistance but was later happy to write a letter commending Onesimus for his helpfulness. We have no idea what this household servant did for Paul but old duties would have taken on a new thoroughness now that they had become acts of kindness performed from the heart.

Paul’s appreciation and gracious encouragement would have made all the difference as Onesimus grew in confidence. It is possible to live up to our highest aspirations but only with the renovating power of the gospel and the transformation that comes from the renewing of our minds.

Let us be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Day 36 - Freedom in chains

Read: Philemon 10

THEME: Living up to a name can be hard work. All it takes is for someone, maybe even ourselves, to set a target that makes us feel incompetent. Our role-model for turning this around is a runaway servant named Onesimus.

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Onesimus means ‘useful’ but he had reached the point where he felt anything but useful and, with his head filled with hopes of escaping to a better life, he had run to Rome. He looked for freedom. Freedom from failure! Freedom from his circumstances! Freedom from himself! And found nothing but disappointment.

Then he went to see a man in chains – a man of whom he had heard frequently during his days as a servant – an itinerant preacher whose preaching, according to his former employer, Philemon, had changed his life. It was the ultimate ironic first-time encounter. Paul was free, despite his chains, and Onesimus was more ensnared than ever, despite his bid for freedom.

The transformation that occurred in Onesimus was a testimony to the power of the life-changing message that Paul shared with him, speaking of Christ’s givenness for us on the cross and the hope that springs from His resurrection. It enabled Onesimus to face the truth that we can only live up to a name when we have been set free to be who we are meant to be in Christ.

That which was true for Onesimus is also true for us.

Let us not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of truth.

Day 35 - Purpose secured

Read: 2 Timothy 4:11

THEME: For much of his life John Mark appeared to be living on the edge of the action. For many this is an uncomfortable area to be in, but it can be an ideal place for God to shape us and mature us.

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Many years have passed and Paul is writing to John Mark’s replacement, Timothy. His words indicated a major turnaround: ‘Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry’.

By this time John Mark has been through much. He has long since moved on from Cyprus and may even have furthered his writing career in Rome, taking down dictation from Peter. He would have felt safe with Peter who was a spiritual father figure for him. But here was Paul – sometimes his hero; sometimes his nemesis – saying, in effect, ‘John Mark, you are useful’.

Here is a lesson for us all. No matter how much we may feel side-lined and away from the action, God is at work in our lives changing us and preparing us. We do not have to be in the centre of the action to be at the centre of God’s will.

‘Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’

Romans 15:13

Day 34 - Severed partnerships

Read: Acts 15:37-40

THEME: For much of his life John Mark appeared to be living on the edge of the action. For many this is an uncomfortable area to be in, but it can be an ideal place for God to shape us and mature us.

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Towards the end of Acts 15 we seem to find John Mark back in Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, possibly having accompanied them when they returned from the Jerusalem Council. This set the scene for something that proved incredibly painful for the young man. Once again it was something outside his control – and mercifully, to some extent, outside of his hearing.

Paul and Barnabas had been discussing whether or not John Mark should accompany them on their next mission trip. Barnabas had said ‘yes’; Paul had said ‘no’, and they had fallen out over the issue – or, more accurately over him! It would not have been easy to forget having inadvertently split the world’s most successful missionary partnership.

Paul could not just forget Mark’s Cyprus exit, but then neither could Barnabas. For Barnabas it was a situation that required some restoration work and for him there seemed to be no better way to start that restoration than to take John Mark back to the scene of his failure.

John Mark may have felt that he was back on the side-lines but somehow he was still in centre of God’s will.

May we not lose sight of the restoration plans that God has for each one of us.

Day 33 - Shifting Patterns

Read: Acts 13:13

THEME: For much of his life John Mark appeared to be living on the edge of the action. For many this is an uncomfortable area to be in, but it can be an ideal place for God to shape us and mature us.

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Yesterday we looked at John Mark’s move to Cyprus with Barnabas and Saul. In Acts 13:13 we see him quitting the team and returning to the security of his Jerusalem home.

Once again circumstances had changed beyond Mark’s influence. Saul, who was now calling himself Paul, seemed to be taking over the lead from Barnabas and recruiting others in a move to expand the team.

Problems seem to have begun with a dramatic encounter at the Proconsul’s house. Barnabas and Saul had been invited, but not John Mark. As Barnabas was speaking to the Proconsul, Saul had intervened and an obstructive magician who had been acting as the Proconsul’s advisor had been struck blind. Saul seemed to think this was fine, possibly an echo of his own conversion experience, and certainly an opportunity for the man to have his inner blindness highlighted by his outer condition. It seemed to be such a turning point for Saul that he had changed his name to Paul, had taken charge, and had gathered others around him in readiness to extend the mission to the mainland.

For John Mark the choice was onward or out and he was opting for out. Being on the edge of the action gives plenty of opportunities for taking offence but taking offence always stunts personal progress.

May God give us the grace to handle today’s challenges with wisdom in a way that pleases Him.

Day 32 - Privileged selection

Read: Acts 12:25 - 13:5

THEME: For much of his life John Mark appeared to be living on the edge of the action. For many this is an uncomfortable area to be in, but it can be an ideal place for God to shape us and mature us.

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As we continue to follow John Mark’s story, we read in Acts 12:25 that he was selected to travel with Barnabas and Saul.

Barnabas was his cousin and in all probability Saul, the converted persecutor of the church, had become something of a hero for John Mark. Saul may have done great damage to the Jerusalem church, possibly affecting Mark’s own household, but young men tend to enjoy dramatic conversion stories, often wishing they were their own.

Arriving in multicultural Antioch from a largely mono-cultural Jerusalem must have been something of a shock, and given the busyness of Barnabas and Saul there must have been times when he wondered why they had uprooted him from Jerusalem. Before long, though, they were on the move again. Barnabas and Saul were being sent to Cyprus. They had been church leaders in Antioch whilst he had been sitting in the pews. Now they had been prayed on their way by the church leadership whilst he had simply joined the team to carry the bags.

It can be tough living on the edge of action but it is a good place to grow. There are advantages in not being the centre of attention.

May God fill us with joy in whatever way we serve him.

Day 31 - Parental Shadows

Read: Acts 12:12

THEME: For much of his life John Mark appeared to be living on the edge of the action. For many this is an uncomfortable area to be in, but it can be an ideal place for God to shape us and mature us.

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Many of us feel we live on the edge of life’s action, just caught up in circumstances rather than determining them. Sometimes we wish we could step in more closely, sometimes we long to stand further away. From Acts 12:12 we can see that John Mark had the benefit of godly parenting. His mother held a prayer meeting in her home, and some believe that she was the widow of the man who hosted the Last Supper in the very same room. They seem to have been people at the centre of the action and Mark grew up under the shadow of their protective care, seeing much from the side-lines and experiencing their joys and pains.

Of course, we can understand his longing to have a role of his own and maybe Mark’s Gospel chapter 14, verse 51 gives an early hint of this – a young man who had set his heart on following Jesus but who eventually came under pressure and fled. But in all honesty, living on the edge of the action does have its advantages. It can be a safe place from which to look and learn; seeing but sheltered; learning but secure. It is good to know that we can be in the centre of God’s will without always being in the centre of the action.

May God fill us with His peace as we live out our lives for Him today.

Day 30 - Security and blessing

Read: Psalm 23:6

THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.

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In approaching the final verse of Psalm 23, we can marvel at the sense of security that comes as part of God’s blessing. ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever’.

In the face of God’s provision and protection, His guidance and grace, His comfort and correction, and His abundant supply of joy, David draws on an awareness of God’s unfailing goodness to conclude that nothing will ever interrupt his experience of his Lord’s favour.

Throughout his life David has been longing to build a house for his Lord, a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant.

The stories he had heard in his childhood of the occasions when the ark had been stolen had always haunted him and given him sleepless nights, but as he draws this psalm to a close David realises that God already has a house in heaven that is more secure than any earthly house that he or his descendants might construct for him. It is never going to be a case of David bringing God into David’s security but of God bringing David into God’s security. David acknowledges that the goodness and mercy he has always known are not going to cease; and the safety of God’s dwelling place will be his constant home.

Let us remember that we have a God who is even more strongly committed to us than we are to Him.

Day 29 - The overflow of joy

Read: Psalm 23:5

THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.

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As we turn to verse 5 of Psalm 23, we can think of how much of God’s goodness David experienced in his lifetime. ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.’

David was exceptional in terms of his kingship as he was anointed three times: firstly by Samuel when he was a young man; secondly by the people of Judah following the death of Saul; and thirdly, as a thirty year old, when the whole nation of Israel came together at Hebron to make him king. And yet the anointing David speaks of, goes beyond this; he is talking of a current and ongoing anointing from the Lord Himself.

Then there is this feast that the Lord spreads before him in the face of his enemies. Few men would be bold enough to turn their backs on their enemies to give their attention to such a feast. But even in the midst of his greatest battles, David was always focussed on God and His unfailing generosity and goodness.

In David’s early days, Saul’s insecurities and fears could have been his preoccupation. In later years, it could have been the threats of surrounding nations and the pain of internal discord. But, come what may, David stayed focused on God’s table spread before Him and the constant access he had to God’s ongoing anointing. It was the reality of this daily relationship with God that made his cup of joy overflow.

Let us have a focus on God’s goodness that causes us to know His overflowing joy.

Day 28 - Comfort and correction

Read: Psalm 23:4

THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.

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As we look at verse 4 of psalm 23, we can think of the losses David experienced in his lifetime. ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me’.

David lost the life of one of his sons at the hand of another, and then saw the life of the son whom he had belatedly forgiven and restored taken wilfully by his nephew. In his own sinfulness and through his murderous plans, he had lost the companionship of his neighbour and seen the child of his adultery die at birth. And so the list of losses could go on.

David needed comfort in his bereavement and at times he needed correction too. Amazingly David was a man who could find as much comfort in the application of God’s rod and staff as he could in God’s heartfelt consolation.

When death overshadows us, God comes alongside to walk us through the valley, keeping us going even when we are tempted to think the path is never ending. Similarly if we are overwhelmed with remorse and despair, God can break into our self-pity and bring us to a liberating repentance through the accuracy of His word.

David knew more about the shadow of death and the valley of despair than most of us but he also came to know a God who could bring him through.

Let us be grateful that we have a God who can comfort and correct.

Day 27 - Rest and Righteousness

Read: Psalm 23:2-3

THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.

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As we look at the second and third verses of Psalm 23, we can reflect on the pressures of kingship that came upon David from the moment Samuel anointed him. There were privileges, yes, but huge responsibilities too. David had to discover a pattern for rest and righteousness. The key, as he knew full well, was to be shepherded by a caring Creator: ‘He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’

On one occasion, long after he had gained the crown, David created his own break from his responsibilities by staying home from the battle and looking over the palace wall for wrongful recreation. The rest was not the problem, the wrongful recreation was.

Years later Jesus said ‘Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light’.

There is a rest God gives us from our labours and there is a rest that God gives us in our labours. There is a partnership with Him that keeps us in His peace, no matter how great the pressures of the day. David had to come back in brokenness and repentance to the simplicity of knowing God leading him; causing him to lie down in a place of abundance, even when tempted to press on in his own strength; making him walk beside still waters, even when drawn after rushing streams and babbling brooks.

May our lives be a testimony to God’s faithfulness in leading us in paths of righteousness.

Day 26 - Protection and Provision

Read: Psalm 23:1

THEME: Psalm 23 carries a weight of maturity. It is more than a song of a shepherd boy; it is the testimony of one who has been shepherded through a lifetime of pain, challenges and correctives.

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In looking afresh at Psalm 23 we can begin by changing the tone of the first verse so that it sounds less like a lullaby in a field and more like an assertion in the face of day-to-day realities. It could be read as a bold exclamation: ‘The Lord! My Shepherd! I shall not want!’ When expressed in such a way we can see clearly that the confidence concerning provision comes from a realisation of God’s shepherding care. He is MY SHEPHERD and because of that... lack will not overtake me.

This is a big testimony from a man who has lived all of his life with major needs, and at times with seemingly only the most limited of supply-lines. How did David feed an army whilst living on the run from Saul? How did David find the wisdom to govern a nation when his only role model was a man who had lived out of his insecurities and fears? His answer was simple; he was constantly shepherded by a Shepherd, and His Shepherd was the Lord. Issues such as food for his troops and wisdom to rule were seen in a fresh light when such truth was asserted.

Regardless of what issues we may face today, let us start with a bold exclamation, ‘The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not lack!'

Let us set our challenges in a more positive perspective so as to have a genuine testimony of God’s goodness.

Day 25 - A Nobleman from Cana

Read: John 4:46-54

THEME: The Gospel record gives us so many examples of how people engaged with Jesus that it would be hard to find a human challenge that did not in some way meet Him face-to face.

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Some encounters with Jesus were very brief. The one we look at today took no more than a moment as Jesus continued on His way, and yet it contained a request, a challenge, a plea and an assurance that proved life transforming.

The man who came with the request was a nobleman from Cana who had a sick son and wanted Jesus to come to his home to heal him. Jesus appeared dismissive, almost accusing the man of being an unbelieving miracle-hunter. But the man stood his ground and urged Jesus to come.

Jesus, though, is not limited by time and place. The son’s healing was effected without Jesus having to move and the man was sent on his way with Jesus telling him ‘your son lives’. The apparent dismissiveness of Jesus provoked faith. The nobleman was looking for a miracle and he received one that he would never forget, but the impact Jesus made in that one moment would have gone far deeper.

John chose this encounter as the second of the seven signs around which he built his gospel. It shows that Jesus was not constrained by distance and did not need a public performance in order to meet a need.

It is a privilege to live our lives relating to Jesus, but we must never lose sight of the transforming power of a moment.

Day 24 - Residents of a Samaritan City

Read: John 4:27-42

THEME: The Gospel record gives us so many examples of how people engaged with Jesus that it would be hard to find a human challenge that did not in some way meet Him face-to face.

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It is amazing to think that a city was introduced to Jesus by someone who had virtually been hiding in their midst. The first they knew about Jesus being in town was when a woman came running from the direction of the well, shouting ‘come and see, come and see’. As a crowd gathered around her, she breathlessly re-enforced her invitation ‘Come and see me a man 2who told me all that I ever did’.

Looks were exchanged as some began to realise who she was, and started recalling the rumours they had heard about her frequently troubled domestic arrangements. How could she be so excited about someone raking over all of that? But in the midst of their raised eyebrows a question was hitting home, ‘Could this be the Christ?’ Something had definitely happened to her and it was well worth a look, so they went back to the well with her and persuaded Jesus to stay.

After two days, as Jesus moved on, they turned to the woman and said ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard Him ourselves and know that He is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world’. It is impressive to see how a liberated recluse could impact a city after being asked for a drink of water.

In our sophistication we may no longer gather around wells but some of us have conversations around the office water-cooler. We are probably naturally more outgoing than the woman who had made a habit of avoiding crowds.

May we be inspired to tell our story and to introduce others to Jesus.

Day 23 - A Woman from Samaria: a meeting at a well

Read: John 4:4-26

THEME: The Gospel record gives us so many examples of how people engaged with Jesus that it would be hard to find a human challenge that did not in some way meet Him face-to face.

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The well at which Jesus met the Samaritan woman was not just any well. She had come to draw water from Jacob’s well. She knew who had dug it, who had drunk from it, and how deep it was. There was nothing wrong with Jacob’s well; it provided a good temporary solution to physical thirst and Jesus was happy for her to help Him drink from it, even though His request shocked her. But when Jesus offered her living water, which He said would continually slake her thirst, she was curious. This could save her leaving her house and let her hide permanently from her neighbours.

There was a problem, though; the well was deep and, although she sensed that Jesus might be greater than Jacob, He had no rope and bucket. She was of course right about Jesus being greater than Jacob and His well is even deeper than Jacob’s well was, but no bucket is needed. The spring supplying it is strong enough to deliver at the surface as well as to satisfy the depths. It is the spring of resurrection life that was to see Jesus triumph on the cross.

The woman was so overwhelmed with what she had received that she left her water-pot at the well. She would need it again to draw physical water, but she had discovered a deeper well that had enabled her to confront her past, face her future and embrace her neighbours.

Let’s be quick to recognise the fullness of the solutions Jesus brings to our circumstances.

Day 22 - Nicodemus: a meeting in the night

Read: John 3:1-21

THEME: The Gospel record gives us so many examples of how people engaged with Jesus that it would be hard to find a human challenge that did not in some way meet Him face-to face.

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The extraordinary thing about this encounter is the amazing amount of spiritual information that Jesus loaded onto Nicodemus, far more than we find recorded for anyone else at such an initial meeting. There appear to be three reasons for this:

Firstly, Nicodemus had revealed his personal openness and Jesus sought to build on this by telling him that spiritual transformation would enable him to see much more than he had realised so far.

Secondly, when Nicodemus was puzzled by the concept of being born again, Jesus used the opportunity to help him distinguish between the spiritual and physical.

Thirdly, given that Nicodemus had arrived at night to protect his national leadership status, Jesus strongly challenged his ignorance of heavenly things. Nicodemus had not only arrived in the dark, he was a teacher who was limited by persistently living in the dark.

It seems that Nicodemus was still thinking everything through three years later as he brought myrrh and helped take the body of Jesus from the cross. He had heard Jesus say ‘as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life’. As a teacher of the Jews he would have known that all who looked at Moses’ serpent lived. He now needed to lift his eyes beyond the soon-to-be-discarded, myrrh-soaked grave clothes... and live.

Let us be grateful that Jesus not only meets us at the level of our understanding but takes us beyond it.

Day 21 - The traders in the temple

Read: John 2:13-23

THEME: The Gospel record gives us so many examples of how people engaged with Jesus that it would be hard to find a human challenge that did not in some way meet Him face-to face.

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In Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, it is prophesied that the Messiah will suddenly come to His Temple with a purifying zeal. Even if the Temple traders in Jesus’ day had recognised the relevance of this prophecy to their own behaviour, they would probably have still been surprised at the zeal with which Jesus sent them on their way.

Jesus was determined to set things straight in God’s House at the start of His ministry, and three years later was willing to do it all over again before His final week of teaching. And even that is not the end. If the Malachi prophecy is to be fully applied, we can anticipate a final purging of His spiritual temple when He comes to rule and reign.

So what would those early Temple traders have thought of their first encounter with Jesus? Well, it would have been painful and I am sure His words would have cut them more deeply than any whip... ‘Do not make My Father’s House a house of trade’. Now there is nothing wrong with trade, unless of course the profits of the provider constitute a victimisation of the purchaser. The Temple traders played on the vulnerabilities of those changing their local coins into shekels to pay the Temple tax and to buy sacrifices for the altar. We must not be that naïve when we come to worship.

Let us determine not to short-change God in our worship; then we will be less likely to short-change, or be short-changed by, others.