The credit crunch of 2008 will long be remembered.  Her Majesty The Queen, on a visit to the London School of Economics, asked a professor, "Why did nobody see it coming?"  His response was sadly fascinating, "At every stage, somebody was relying on somebody else; and everybody thought they were doing the right thing".  That just shows how partnerships can go horribly wrong.  In business, as in every other part of life, you can only work with people you trust.  But, on what grounds is that trust established?  A good history of satisfactory trading, personable people who create a good impression or the least worst of the available options ... none of these can guarantee the integrity of a future partnership.

Wrong strategic alliances were the downfall of Israel in the Old Testament.  They were also the banana skin for the early church believers.  Paul's warning to resist the lure of pragmatic business alliances is repeated in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 where partnership is presented as the yoking of two oxen: if they are pulling in different directions or unevenly, not only will the plough go off course but the animals will suffer extreme chaffing under the ropes that bind them to the yoke.  This unequal yoke can be as painful and disruptive in a marriage as it is in business.

Now, Jesus did not want us to be taken out of the world, but to be protected from the Evil One (John 17:15).  So, we need to be very careful who we commit ourselves to.  It is personal character, rather than academic brilliance or slick trading skills, which give the clue.  In this chapter, the Christian is warned not to copy the lifestyle of the pagans around them who are immoral, impure, greedy, obscene, foolish or coarse (Ephesians 5:3-6).  Such people are already under God's wrath, and so, to trust yourself to them is like standing under a tree in a thunderstorm.

Often, in the workplace, we are given no choice about who we work, network or trade with.  But when we do have that opportunity, whatever choices we make are our responsibility.  A check-box approach to recruitment, or being recruited, may divert attention from weak character to strong skill-sets, but in the end character matters more than skills.  How are we then to make those godly choices, especially when the workplace is not full of believers?  Go back to God's standard.  Look at character through God's eyes: Ephesians 4:25-32 and then Ephesians 5:3-6 and Ephesians 6:5-9.  God's Word contains wisdom: ignore it and there is no way to be confident of making truly wise decisions (Jeremiah 8:9).  Follow God's wisdom and think carefully about the partnerships you make (Proverbs 14:8).  If in doubt, don’t.