6 November

Today’s the day when in 1972 the British Government froze pay and prices in an attempt to halt spiralling inflation. After talks between the Government, the TUC and the CBI had failed to produce an anti-inflationary deal, Prime Minister Edward Heath announced in Parliament there would be controls on pay and prices. In the following months this led to widespread industrial unrest, most memorably the miners’ strike the following year which caused serious power shortages and led to the imposition of a three-day week.

Earning our wages is important to all of us and generally we hope that over time they will increase. A three day week sounds attractive, but if we didn’t get our full week’s pay most of us would have difficultly paying the bills.

Yet when it comes to knowing God, what matters is not what we can earn but what God freely gives. If we think we can earn his love by what we do we are seriously deluded. His word tells us that if he paid us the wages we deserve, it would be dreadful; but instead he gives us the wonderful undeserved blessing of life in all its fullness. This is how Romans 6 verse 23 puts it:

‘The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.’