There is NO sacred-secular divide.  Amos told the people in Amos 5:21-24 that there was no sacred secular divide. I’ll read this from the Message Bible: “I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions. I want nothing to do with your religious projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice – oceans of it. I want fairness – rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”  The people were going along to their religious festivals nicely enough, but God wanted them to STOP doing  them – and instead sort out HOW they were operating OUTSIDE of those meetings – during the REST OF the week.  Specifically – God hated – He even despised – their weekly services to Him – BECAUSE OF how they were operating during the rest of the week. ?? What were they doing ?  ?? What was it about their singing and their worship band that was so upsetting to Him?   It was HOW THEY WERE WORKING during the rest of the week – that was upsetting Him.  Perhaps it was how they treated their coworkers on Monday mornings; or perhaps it was how they marketed their products on Wednesdays; or perhaps it was how they sold their products on Fridays. God’s logic went something like this: ‘How can they work in their jobs in a way that upsets me – and then think that I will enjoy their worship meetings? – Don’t they know that they are all linked in my eyes?!” Their is no sacred secular divide. Indeed – the SECULAR – is to be VIEWED BY EVERY BELIEVER AS VERY SACRED – BECAUSE God is in it with them. When we work – during the week – we display our own characters – AND we also display the character who we honestly worship.  God loves to PARTICULARLY see two character traits guiding and motivating our actions during our working weeks.  These are ‘justice’ and ‘righteousness’. You see, we are told elsewhere that justice and righteousness are the foundations for all that God does – but the people who Amos was addressing – had no such bedrock – for what they were doing.  Indeed they were displaying a very different set of character traits during their working week. Those OTHER character traits were POLLUTING their worship services.  God uses two pictures of ‘FLOWING water’ –  to illustrate how justice and righteousness should FLOW out of us – throughout their working weeks. Kind of like metaphoric ‘rivers of righteousness’ flowing out from our desks – and  ‘streams of justice’ flowing from our blogs and websites.   ‘Righteousness’ and ‘justice’ are wonderful INNNER drivers – but they will never remain hidden INSIDE us. They cause us to DO things differently – to ACT differently – to WORK differently.  So at work – where we are often the most busy – our characters will be obvious to all.  Are we righteous and fair in all our ways,  or do we cut corners in our actions?  Our working week will vividly display our character  and the character of One whom we are worshipping.  Amos shows us something incredible.  I mean no disrespect to churches as I say this next point – but – our business dealings can be MORE spiritually pleasing to God –  THAN our singing in church on Sunday.  Indeed our Sunday Services are literally set into a series of working weeks.  Like an expensive ring – where a single diamond is held in its place by clasps on a gold band – the diamond of our songs on Sunday is held in place – by the gold ring of our actions – displayed through the working week.  Let nobody ever elevate church services as being sacred, whilst  your office, or your factory, are somehow unimportant to God.  God’s ENJOYMENT towards your Sunday service may reflect PRECISELY HOW He sees you within your office or your factory.  God could be loving, your songs on Sunday –  BECAUSE OF – the way that you are outworking His righteousness and fairness in your offices or your factories for the rest of the week.  Would your work colleagues describe your output at work as a constant flow of fresh, good, true and fair things?  There is no sacred secular divide.

This has been such an enriching and timely course for me. As we start a new venture as a family I really needed this clarity and conviction on the Biblical perspective of money management. The discussions and content have been thought provoking and challenging. The topic is such a fundamental area to be clearer on. God has spoken to me through it. I am experiencing a greater freedom in my spirit towards the whole area. My faith has been built. It will continue to have it’s challenges and everyday problems, but I feel in a better position to know where to go in the Bible for help and have a greater assurance surrounding the subject. Thank you to the group who have helped me get greater clarity on it thru our discussions. Thank you David for the privilege of participating and your insightful challenges and course content. I would whole heartedly recommend it for anyone seeking to know the Father’s mind on money! 

Here’s what I’d say to someone considering the course… It can feel like your means of making a living and your faith in God belong to separate parts of your heart. This course helps you see how God is present in your work and provision and how Scripture can inspire and ignite what you do in your business. You’ll come out of the course with a more holistic understanding of how God’s ultimate plan for your eternity is present in your workday. Thank you so much for all the time and energy you spent preparing the course and in guiding us these last months!