Investing is something we all do. Some invest in the stock market. Some are very successful at this endeavor, getting a great return for their investment. Some are not so fortunate and lose more than they gain. Some invest their lives in people, seeking to help others to have a better life than they presently have. Some do this by giving to charitable causes such as Salvation Army, Good Will, or other humanitarian efforts that help to relieve suffering. Many investments are simply for monetary gain. This seems to be the driving force in a vast majority of people. Make money, so you can make more money. Let me add, there is nothing wrong with investing your money to make money. It’s a smarter way to accumulate wealth. Wealth is not wrong in itself. Many godly people in the Bible were wealthy. The money is not the problem, the problem is how you use it, and whether it has you, or you have it!
In Matthew 6:21, Jesus makes the bold statement that wherever your treasure is that is where your heart will be. Do you spend most of your time and thought life dreaming of ways to get ahead in this life? While we must prepare for the things of this life, our chief goal should be to prepare for eternity. It should be our goal to use the blessings God has bestowed upon us to influence others for the cause of Christ. How can I effectively do this?
Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
- Invest Your Heart
Our heart is the seat of our emotions, and a vast majority of the time it controls what we do with our resources. We need to be genuinely concerned about those who are lost without Christ and bound for eternity. We will show that concern by investing in prayer for them. When their names are mentioned in our presence we immediately think of their spiritual condition. If our heart is truly turned toward God, we will desire what He desires. When we invest our hearts, we will not build walls to keep people out for fear of being hurt. We will trust God to protect us and push forward to lead them to Christ. Jesus gave everything to secure us a home in Heaven, knowing that many would hate Him, and never once show any desire to know Him.
- Invest Your Mind
If you want to be fully engaged in laying up treasure in Heaven, you must engage your mind in the study of God’s word. If you want a successful relationship with anyone there must be communication between both parties. He speaks through His word and we speak through our prayers. Equip yourself with His wisdom, if you want to make wise investments for the cause of Christ. This will not only help you to make wise choices in the people you seek to win, but it will also help you to use your financial resources wisely to become a better steward. It takes mental effort to be a good steward. God has given each of us resources. All that we have is his and He entrusts us to manage it. While God has blessed us greatly spiritually and monetarily, I should still use all of what He has given wisely. I still clip coupons and use many apps to save money. Yes, sometimes it’s pennies, but pennies add up to dollars, dollars that can be used to reach others for Christ.
- Invest You Time
Today, time equals money. The vast amount of our time is spent making money, so we can spend, so we can make more. There must be a balance in our lives if we are to invest in eternal things. Free time has become a thing of the past. We seek to fill every minute with things that we think we must do to become successful. We do this through our children and our own personal lives. Our parenting has changed from quiet time together, or rambunctious time playing outside, to running them from practice to practice. We seem to think they must play ball, take dance lessons, music lessons, join the Boy or Girl Scouts, sing in the school production, and the list goes on and on. Kids are becoming stressed and many young kids are already on anxiety meds because parents think their kids need all these things to have a successful social life. Some use the excuse it’s keeping them out of trouble. If lack of time is all that’s deterring trouble, they will eventually find a way to do the things that are not right.
Our time would be well spent being a godly parent. We are to teach and train our children according to scripture. Teaching them about God and making them accountable to Him will help them stay out of trouble far more than filling their schedules to the point of exhaustion. We allow ourselves to get into vicious cycles of working more so our children and ourselves spend more time doing “stuff.” Wouldn’t it be better to work less, and have more time with your children, instead of working more, so they can do more, and have less time with us?
Isaiah 55:2 “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfied not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.”
In Isaiah 55:2, we are challenged to place more value on investing in things that are eternal. To delight in the things of God that satisfies our soul. Invest in things that will not corrupt, and have no end. Invest your money and your time to make a real difference. If God has blessed you with great resources, make great investments, investments that will only increase as time marches toward eternity. I believe far too often we deceive ourselves into believing we are putting God and the things of God first, but we are not. He’s just on the list, and get’s His slice of the pie of life, just like everything else. If this is the case, you will lose. He will either be first or nothing at all.
