The Best Investment

 

When I opened an account, the financial company asked me – “What is your risk tolerance?”  Risk is part of having money in any investment. The economy changes, markets move up and down. Risk can be managed, however, by the choice of investment. Some funds promise higher returns generally accompanied by a higher risk of value fluctuations and loss. Others are more ‘balanced.’  They produce lower returns but generally their value is much more stable over time.

My ‘risk tolerance’ is low given my age and limited resources!  However, my real treasure is invested in a way that knows no loss, that is completely secure, beyond the reach of pandemic, war, or political chaos. Read on!

Jesus taught us that not all wealth is worldly, not every treasure a thing of earthly value. Counseling us about what is of true worth, He says -“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV) 

Lots of pastors like to use that passage to encourage giving in church offerings!  It is true that we can invest in God’s work when we support our local church’s efforts to make disciples and care for people in need. BUT, those words are about the whole of our lives, the focus of our day to day efforts. Are we serving God, investing in people, or serving ourselves, focused on our own ‘kingdom?’

Creating ‘treasure in heaven,’ giving of time and resources in Christ-honoring ways, is a long-term strategy, involving a willingness to trust Him for returns that are not visible in a day or a week. His rewards are sure, our lives secured by His promise. Jesus points out that “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:23-25, NIV)

Christian, do you remember that you are investing each day?  How we live using the gifts and opportunities God gives will produce a return or a loss. Paul encourages us to remember eternity, our appointment with the Lord, where in His gaze it will be found if we built on the foundation of Christ’s Gospel “using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work." (1 Corinthians 3:12-13, NIV)  Yes, today’s actions have eternal significance.

Disciple, love Jesus! Invest yourself in Him. Don’t respond with fear or panic to the temporary up’s and down’s of life. Only God knows why the trials and joys of each day are allowed to come our way. Invest in Him for the long-term.

Here’s a word from the Word. It shifts the investment theme a bit, turning our thoughts to the harvest that will come. May it be both a caution and encouragement for you today. 
"Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.
The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—
harvests a crop of weeds.
All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!
But the one who plants in response to God,
letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him,
harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.
At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.
Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance,
let us work for the benefit of all,
starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith." (Galatians 6:7-10, The Message)

 Where and in whom are you investing your life?  
Today is a good day to open that Heavenly account, by faith in Christ!

________________

Take My Life
(a prayer for this day)

Take my life and let it be consecrated

Lord to Thee

Take my moments and my days

Let them flow in ceaseless praise

Take my hands and let them move

At the impulse of Thy love

Take my feet and let them be

Swift and beautiful for Thee

 

Take my voice and let me sing

Always only for my King

Take my lips and let them be

Filled with messages from Thee

Take my silver and my gold

Not a mite would I withhold

Take my intellect and use

Ev'ry power as You choose

 

Take my will and make it Thine

It shall be no longer mine

Take my heart it is Thine own

It shall be Thy royal throne

Take my love my Lord I pour

At Your feet its treasure store

Take myself and I will be

Ever only all for Thee

 

Frances Ridley Havergal

God’s Gallery

 

The text of the 2^nd chapter of Ephesians is  … well, what word should I use? Amazing? Wonderful? Revealing? Encouraging?  I could use those and more. Some people fail to take the passage as seriously as we must. As a result they read the soaring prose of Paul as poetic, hyperbole perhaps, not grasping the immense revelation that was inspired by the Spirit. This text encourages Christians who live in a world that is hostile to genuine faith by reminding us of His work to save us and His striking purpose in doing so.  The contrast between who we were and who we are is starkly made.  

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Has your faith wavered? Do you question your worth to God?  This is a passage for YOU. "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:1-11, NIV)

The desperate state of humanity apart from God is clear.  “Dead in transgressions… objects of wrath.” In an era of self-esteem, when we take great pains to avoid giving offense, this is an ‘in your face’ truth, not readily accepted. We insist that we are noble, that our ‘sins’ are really just mistakes, resulting from a lack of opportunity, a failure of education, or being poorly parented. While it is true that many things shape our choices and understanding, the most basic fact is where this text begins. We are sinners, rebelling against God, thinking that our best life is found in ‘gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature.’   Occasionally we may have a faint impulse to do better, but under pressure, we revert to focusing on Self. We are influenced by ‘the world systems, the flesh, and the Devil.’ And thus, destined for eternity’s junkheap!

BUT, God because of ‘great love, rich mercy, and incomparable grace’ meets our desperate condition with an offer of life, received by faith, which is itself, a gift He offers!  Why? Because He desires to ‘show the riches of His grace, expressed to us in His kingdom to us in Christ Jesus.’  God desires to show His love, to refute the devilish lie that He is not good, a despot. He is the prime actor in our salvation, the source of grace and faith. We respond to His gift with a ready “yes,” and in the new life we find in Him, become His ‘workmanship.’  We are His art work, living the life He desired for us before we even existed.  That is, at least to me, a mind-blowing, astonishingly wonderful truth that gives me, and you, value beyond estimation in a way similar to what happens when a great artist takes an ordinary canvas and paint and makes a treasure.

Let’s revel in the wonder that we, once destined for the junk heap of eternity because we rejected God, and were ‘in Adam,’ are now destined for beauty, saved and ‘in Christ.’  What would the Church become if we grasped the fact that our true destiny is to become a gallery of portraits of saints, displaying the artistry of God for time and eternity?  And that is who we are! 

The word from the Word calls us to worship. "So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure." (Ephesians 1:6-9, NLT)

_______________

 

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)

 

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost but now I'm found

Was blind but now I see

 

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

 

My chains are gone I've been set free

My God my Savior has ransomed me

And like a flood His mercy rains

Unending love amazing grace

 

The Lord has promised good to me

His word my hope secures

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures

 

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow

The sun forbear to shine

But God who called me here below

Will be forever mine

Will be forever mine

You are forever mine

 

Chris Tomlin | John Newton | Louie Giglio

© 2006 sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Vamos Publishing (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

worshiptogether.com songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

That label you wear

 

Drama queen.  Control freak. Snowflake.  Progressive, conservative, liberal, Millennial, Boomer, Republican, Democrat, Evangelical … We do to love to paste labels on each other, don’t we? Labels give us an easy way to group people, a short cut for the way we relate to others or a reason not to. I can make a reasonably accurate guess at a person’s politics if I see him driving a Ford F-250 pick-up truck. It’s fairly safe to assume that the person in a Toyota Prius votes very differently from that guy in the pickup. I wonder what my Dodge SUV says?  “Middle class American? Safe?”   

For some people having ‘right’ label on the clothes they wear or the ‘right’ emblem on their choice of transportation is very important, a way to state their identity, or their assumed one anyway.  Labels can be mis-leading, even those we adopt for ourselves. When we attempt to be someone we are not, we become a person who is ‘all hat, no cattle,’ as is said of wanna-be cowboys in the West.

Christian, are you ‘for real?’ Does your faith form you, inside out?  

Paul wore some impressive labels in his time. Prior to meeting Christ he reveled in his pedigree - "circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee." (Philippians 3:5, NIV) If you don’t understand what those words meant in his culture, just let me say that he was a top tier guy, a member of the elite class.  

Then, he met Jesus, who knocked him off his feet, literally, and when he looked up, he was made new inside out.  He tossed the labels and got right with God. "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." (Philippians 3:8-9, NIV)  What mattered to him was what God thought what he did and what God said about who he was.

We need to draw our identity in the same way, trusting in Christ, desiring to be nothing less or more than He makes us.  My prayer is that whenever others want to label me that the most obvious choice is “Christian,” because the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience – is in such abundant supply that there is no doubting to Whom I belong. How about you?

As far as labeling others, we need to remember Jesus’ instruction, simple and direct. “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged. For others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged." (Matthew 7:1-2, NLT)  Our prayer must be to see beyond the surface, to listen beyond the words, to love around the things that are hard – just as He did.   

We cannot live the Golden Rule - "Do to others as you would have them do to you,” which Jesus taught, if we separate people into those acceptable and those who are not based on our personal preferences.  Jesus went even further -  “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that." (Luke 6:31-33, NIV)  Love like that demands a heart change brought about by His Spirit in us. 

Be careful about forming those first impressions about people. One Thanksgiving day, when I was a teenager, a man in worn work clothes knocked on the door of our home in Pittstown, NJ asking about purchasing a horse. (Dad had a large stable at the time.)  Dad took one look at him and politely told him that he only sold purebreds, Arabians and Morgans, not just ordinary riding stock.  The man smiled and gestured toward his a Rolls Royce™ in the drive, assuring Dad that he was truly interested in Arabian horses and that resources were not a problem. He became a good friend and that story entered our family lore as a lesson about judging others based on appearance.

Checking out the labels? Tempted to wear one that creates an image? Here’s a word from the Word. "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation." (Galatians 6:14-15, NIV)

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God." (Philippians 1:9-11, NIV)

____________

Who You Say I Am

Who am I that the highest King

Would welcome me

I was lost but He brought me in

Oh His love for me

Oh His love for me

 

Who the Son sets free

Oh is free indeed

I'm a child of God

Yes I am

 

Free at last

He has ransomed me

His grace runs deep

While I was a slave to sin

Jesus died for me

Yes He died for me

 

In my Father's house

There's a place for me

I'm a child of God

Yes I am

 

I am chosen not forsaken

I am who You say I am

You are for me not against me

I am who You say I am

 

(Oh) (Yes) I am who You say I am

 

Ben Fielding | Reuben Morgan

© 2017 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

CCLI License # 810055

 

God’s Patience

 

People tell me that God could not possibly love them because they have done some terrible thing, because of who they have become. Others wonder how a good God can ‘send people to Hell.’ Both thoughts miss the heart of God by a mile! 

I read in the writing of Hosea this morning. He was that preacher who married a woman who left him for other lovers. She fell far and fast, becoming a street prostitute, unloved, without hope. True story! Hosea found her, brought her home, and loved her back to life. His life was a living lesson about God’s patient and enduring love for His people. Yes, He loves us that much. When we wander, chase other loves, abandon Him, He does not give up on us.

Hosea speaks with God’s voice in another illustration of the depth of His love and the length of His patience. “When Israel was a child, I loved him as a son, and I called my son out of Egypt. But the more I called to him, the more he rebelled, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. It was I who taught Israel how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn’t know or even care that it was I who took care of him. I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.

“But since my people refuse to return to me, they will go back to Egypt and will be forced to serve Assyria. War will swirl through their cities; their enemies will crash through their gates and destroy them, trapping them in their own evil plans. For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don’t truly honor me. “Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? …

My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. No, I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy." (Hosea 11:1-9, NLT)

What a tender picture. God is a father whose heart is broken by a rebel son who has shown him nothing but contempt and disregard. He points out how He loved His people, how He helped them, fed them, cared for them … and their response?  They loved other gods, they rejected Him. Does He hate them? He does not. Oh, He feels anger, He feels sorrow in His knowledge of the inevitable consequences of their rebellion. But, His “compassion overflows!”

Are you concerned that you have gone too far to come home;  that you have exhausted His patience, tested the limits of His love? That is a deception of the enemy of your soul, not the truth of God. Hosea’s God is our God. He stands ready to meet our prayer with forgiveness and restoration in abundance. The choice of life or destruction is ours, not His. He declares that the "wages of sin is death,”  we earn our own spiritual destruction by our choice to reject Him.  The rest of the story says  “but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NLT)  He gives us what is beyond our reach – LIFE!

His amazing grace is a consistent theme of the Bible. Yes, He is a just God, a holy God, and a jealous God. He does not ignore when we are willful, excusing our behavior like a mother who cannot admit the folly of her beloved son. The world He created for us and in which we live has laws of harvest that promise that "God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8, NIV) The Cross of Christ stands before us offering love and forgiveness to any who will turn to Him.

Hear the invitation of a patient God today in the word from the Word. "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7, NIV)

__________________

O The Deep Deep Love Of Jesus

 O the deep deep love of Jesus

Vast unmeasured boundless free

Rolling as a mighty ocean

In its fullness over me

Underneath me all around me

Is the current of Thy love

Leading onward leading homeward

To my glorious rest above

 

O the deep deep love of Jesus

Spread His praise from shore to shore

How He loveth ever loveth

Changeth never nevermore

How He watches o'er His loved ones

Died to call them all His own

How for them He intercedeth

Watches over them from the throne

 

O the deep deep love of Jesus

Love of every love the best

'Tis an ocean vast of blessing

'Tis a haven sweet of rest

O the deep deep love of Jesus

'Tis a heaven of heavens to me

And it lifts me up to glory

For it lifts me up to Thee

 

Samuel Trevor Francis © Public Domain