Early in February, I visited First Baptist Church in Leesburg, Florida, where I spoke on the subject of my book The Treasure Principle. As I mentioned when I shared the Q&A I also did there, I absolutely loved being there at this church. I spent a lot of time with Pastor Cliff and his wife Suzy—such wonderful people, as are so many others I met.
Years ago, I often spoke about giving and making eternal investments, but it’s been a while since I shared a message on this subject. I do remember speaking at Saddleback Church the year The Treasure Principle came out, in 2001, which was 22 years ago. I looked a little different then!
But the message is as true now as it was then: Anything we try to hang on to here will be lost. But anything we put into God’s hands will be ours for eternity.
In Matthew 6, Jesus says there is only one safe place to invest, and that is in the Kingdom of God. He says, in essence, “You can’t take it with you,” but he adds a life-changing corollary: “but you can send it on ahead.”
The currency of this world—its money, possessions, values, fashions, and whims—will be worthless at our death or at Christ’s return, both of which are imminent. This “insider’s tip” should radically affect our investment strategy. To accumulate vast earthly treasures in the face of this knowledge is equivalent to stockpiling Confederate money in a Union economy.
Financial planners have a hard time convincing people to look down the road instead of just focusing on today, this week, or this year. “Don’t think one year,” they’ll tell you, “think thirty years from now.” Then they’ll share ways to prepare for thirty years from now by budgeting, saving so much a month, contributing to an IRA, investing in this mutual fund or that real estate partnership.
But it’s only slightly less short-sighted to think thirty years down the road than to think thirty days. The wise man does indeed think thirty years ahead, but far more—he thinks an eternity ahead. He thinks not just to his retirement years, not merely to the end of his earthly life, but far beyond. He plans for the day that he will stand before the Lord, and he prepares for the eternity that will follow.
The unbeliever’s vision is restricted to the horizons of this world. But we have the big picture. We know this life is the preface to the book, the tune-up to the concert. If we are wise investors, we will spend our lives buying up shares in the world to come.
Hope you enjoy this message:
Photo by Bjorn Pierre on Unsplash
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