THERE was a letter waiting for me when I reached home. It was from an insurance man. It began by pointing out that we live in dangerous times. With a spate of burglaries and a stabbing in the area, no-one could deny that.

Then it asked some personal questions:-
Would my family be able to manage if I died suddenly? Had I made sufficient provision for my retirement? Had I protected my savings...
Now, insurance is not a matter in which the Bible lays down rules. Too often churches try to go beyond what the Bible says. They make rules for their members about giving money, about smoking, and so on. The Bible lays down principles for us. It is for each person to live by those principles in the best possible way.

The Bible says we should put our trust in God. It says that we should not be anxious about tomorrow. The future is God's concern. How we see insurance in the light of these principles is for each one to determine. The level of an individual's faith will determine his or her response. Our consciences work at different levels. Some feel the need for some insurance. Others feel it right to depend entirely on God. We cannot legislate for one another in these matters.

A Question of Insurance?
But I found myself wondering if the insurance man had asked himself these questions. Did he know what would happen to him if he died suddenly? Had he made sufficient provision for his future by attention to the word of God? Had he perhaps protected his savings but neglected things of greater value?

A few days later the letter was followed up with a call. Eddie was a nice bloke, friendly and genuine. We chatted about the state of the world and then got down to business.

We talked about the blessing of the family sharing my faith. This would make a difference if anything unfortunate should happen to me. Then we discussed how my faith colours my attitude to retirement. I expect Jesus Christ to return before I have the chance to retire. From the signs the Bible gives, his coming looks very near.

Even if it doesn't happen quite so quickly, I would rather put any spare income to use. Better to be helping others than to aim to amass a fortune I may or may not need. If retirement comes, I pray I shall have the health to enjoy using it wisely. Wealth, however, is not synonymous with happiness.

"What about saving up for things?" said Eddie. "Surely you have things you want - a boat, a caravan? Have you thought about the little girl's wedding in a few year's time?" (She was ten!)

The Real Purpose of Life
I smiled. "No," I said, "I can't think of anything like that I really want. I may need a small amount for minor repairs to the house if Jesus hasn't come. Life isn't about boats and caravans and weddings though, is it?"
Eddie had to admit that it wasn't. I showed him the passage in Luke's gospel where it says:-

"...for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses."
(Luke 12:15)

Jesus went on to tell a parable about a rich fool whose schemes came to nothing. He had made the mistake of leaving God out of his plans. "Life is more than food;" he taught in the same chapter. "And the body is more than clothing."

He rounded off his advice like this:
"For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."
(Luke 12:30-31)

I think Eddie was a little taken aback. Clearly, in his business he was used to meeting people who do want lots of things. In fact, many people are obsessed with "getting". They spend their lives saving up for this or that. Some things are just a craze. The CB, the computer games, the stereo, the video each give way to something else. In big things too it's the same. You have only to consider how many callers there are at the door. Double glazing, patio doors, home insulation and designer kitchens are a fair sample. Then of course there are improved security systems to protect them all!

Where To Get Off?
So it goes on in a never-ending spiral. It's a treadmill which is very difficult to get off. There is an even greater problem, however.
Most people do not want to stop. Materialism has become their god. It is a form of idol worship. Perhaps you think that is an exaggerated statement. Yet a god is only whatever finds pride of place in our lives. It is the thing that comes first in our affections. It is the thing on which we lavish most attention.

For some people it may be a car. Others spend all their time and resources on D.I.Y. Today people are scathing about those who, in ignorance, used to worship stone statues. We would criticise the foolishness of men who would pray to a carved out tree trunk. Yet the modern idols of jewellery, steel and brick are no different.

Abstract things can be idols too. Education or ambition sometimes find too important a place. Some people are "workaholics". To them nothing matters quite so much as their work.

The reason that these have become idols is that people think they may bring happiness. Pursuits are tried and discarded. Gadgets and equipment are acquired like toys and forgotten again. Relationships are entered into and overturned again when they fail to provide that elusive quality.

People believe that they have a right to be happy. They do not always feel quite so strongly the need to make others happy. It is an attitude of take rather than give.

The Goal of Happiness
The Bible does not promise us happiness now. It leads us to think outwards from ourselves. It teaches that we should want to make God happy first. We, should put His will before our own.

In this life contentment is a greater prize than happiness. We need to learn to be content with our situation. We have to make the best of circumstances. We must rejoice in what God has given us and try to see His purpose through it. Dissatisfaction and complaint are the signs of selfishness. Thankfulness and trust in Him are what God seeks from us.

This is a hard lesson for a world bent on improving its lot now. Man has exploited the ground, the earth's raw materials, the animals and other men through greed. The result is instability, insecurity and fear.

Sometimes when I sit listening to the news, I think of dear old Gladys. I was in "digs" in the north of England. Gladys Stevens was the landlady. She was a kind lady in many ways, but just a little eccentric. She would perform yoga exercises on the dining room floor. Even the arrival home of her lodgers could not interrupt this routine!

Escaping From Reality
The thing that comes most readily to mind, however, is her attitude to the news. Whenever a news bulletin came over the radio, she would leap up and turn it off. The news frightened her. She could not bear to listen to, or think about, what was going on in the world. I can picture her now almost running across the room to press the button. She was terrified she might hear too much.

Poor Gladys! She was living proof of what Jesus says about "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth ..."

Others have different ways of hiding from the truth. A colleague at work couldn't bear to be quiet. She carried a transistor around continually. It was a form of escapism. It prevented her having to think about problems and worrying.

There is no need to fear the news or the future. Jesus has told us what lies ahead. He has warned us what to expect. There are dangerous times ahead, but Jesus can help us to weather the storms. It would be wrong to be proud of knowing how things will end. It would be wrong to be presumptuous of God's care. At the same time, Jesus has said that we have no need to worry if we are committed to him:-

"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
(Luke 21:28)

This is easy to say. Some sincerely desire to share this confidence, but do not feel they can. "I wish I had your faith," they say. "Where do you find this trust in God?"

Faith is something we all have. It is not a magical commodity that some have and others don't. It is not an excuse for things that cannot be explained. Faith means believing.

All of us believe in something. Most of us believe in ourselves. There is no-one can do a job as well as I can! Most of us feel like that at some time or another.

We want to believe in God. We believe that He is able to do what we ask. Then we begin to doubt. What if He doesn't? Our minds begin to think of alternatives. Perhaps then I could do it this way instead.

In our thoughts we are saying: "If God doesn't help me, I'll do it myself" It's a little sort of "safety valve" we allow ourselves, a kind of "get out" clause just in case. This undermines faith and totally destroys it. It places self above God and makes us stronger than He.

When Jesus says "Have faith in God," he is not asking the impossible. He is asking us to look at our lives and find out what things we trust. When we realise where we have put our faith, he asks us to transfer it. "Have faith IN GOD," he says. God is more deserving of our confidence than anything or anyone else.

Faith has then to grow. It may be quite tiny to start with. Jesus said that if faith was like a grain of mustard seed it would be possible to move mountains. Some think that Jesus was talking about the amount of faith. This seems unlikely. Faith is not something to be measured like that. I can't say that my faith is the size of my thumbnail, or that I have a bowlful. Faith is not that kind of thing.

The point about the mustard seed is its growth. It is a tiny seed, but the plant grows and grows and becomes a small tree. Faith must be kept growing. We trust God a little. He is deserving of our confidence. We trust Him a little more. If we keep our faith increasing like that, we shall one day be able to move the mountains in our lives.

It's all a question of putting God first. 