Let me give you all some free financial advice today!

 

  With inflation at 7.5%, you lose half your money in 9 years.

 

  The only way to outperform that consistently, that I have found, is Crypto currency. I put a lot of money into it at the beginning of last year and in just this one year I've already lost half my money.

 

   The epistle from Saint Paul to the Christians in Rome, that we read a small part of today, is filled with very good advice for all of us as Christians in this new year.

 

  I want to today focus on three of the things this wise saint advises Christians to do.

 

Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulations; continuing instant in prayer.”

 

  The first, “rejoicing in hope”, is that Christian hope based on God's promises to us.

 

This hope is our faith, looking forward in assurance of God' grace in Christ. That grace will be sufficient to meet our needs in this life and bring us at the last to the joys of heaven.

 

   The second point he makes is to be “patient in tribulation”, which reminds us that we as children of God are not exempt from the general human experience.

 

We will have our share of adversity.

 

We need to look to the example of Christ and bear our suffering with patience in the knowledge that God has plans for us.

 

  Even though we may not be able to fully understand what they are at this time.

 

   Thirdly, Saint Paul tells us that we should be “continuing instant in prayer”.

 

  In prayer we are to go to God to ask for those gifts of grace through his Holy Spirit that allows us to develop our spiritual life.

 

  As in our physical life, growth and development of our spiritual life is gradual.

 

  Therefore we need to be “instant”, or in other words, steadfast or persevering, in our prayer if we want results

 

. We again have Christ's example for us that prayer should be a regular part of our lives.

 

   In this new year we need as individuals, (and as a congregation), to keep these three admonitions of Saint Paul before us:

 

   Let us rejoice in the hope that comes from Christ's sacrifice for us and gives us the promise of heaven.

 

   Let us be patient in our problems and pain, knowing that God is with us. He is in control and doing always what is best for us.

 

   And finally, let us persevere in prayer, that we may grow, through the bestowal of the Holy Spirit upon us, in his service, during this new year and for all the rest of our lives.

 

Let us pray

 

 

O GOD, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly; Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of Wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.