Investing!

Since retiring, leaving behind a regular income, I have paid more attention to my investment accounts. An uptick in the interest rate of even .5% is cause for happiness.  I celebrate a good day on Wall Street knowing that the bottom line of balance sheet will grow a little bit. I am thankful for those resources that allow me to enjoy this season of life. But, those things are not my true wealth!

Even more valuable to me are the promises of God’s love and the relationships with which I am blessed in this life.  While I was serving at our food pantry yesterday I saw a little girl who was afraid because she couldn’t find her Mom’s car in the parking area.  I called out to her as her lip trembled, “It’s going to be OK, we’ll find your Mom.” She came running and jumped into my arms, her fear quickly subsiding as I pointed her in the right direction. Yes, this grandpa found that brief encounter one of the richest moments of my day.  Earlier that same day I sat for a half hour in the church’s sanctuary and thanked the Lord for His Presence that provides hope, meaning, and purpose for me. My richest resource is His love!

Are you invested in the best things, the true wealth of life?  Jesus challenged the materialism that commands so much of our attention with this story. "Real life is not measured by how much we own.” And he gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. In fact, his barns were full to overflowing. So he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store everything. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get it all?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:15-21, NLT)

Are you 'rich toward God?' (Luke 12:21)
Are you pursuing Him, seeking to live in the center of His goodness, enjoying the wealth of His favor? You can!
I do not belong to an exclusive club that is open only to those of some special bloodline or heritage. I received the grace of God, and you can receive Him, too.

There is a persistent temptation to “fill our barn with Self and not with God.”  We defeat that lie, that false measure of riches, by remembering who we are in Christ, by making times of worship, contemplative prayer, and service a regular part of life. When we trust Christ fully for life eternal, we find peace and love which then flows over from us to those among whom we live. Being ‘rich toward God’ is not a matter of being religious enough; it is about loving Him – heart, soul, mind, and strength- because He has loved us first. 

Let this own your mind -  "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 5:21-6:2, NLT)

Choose now to receive the gift of God's Spirit: an undeserved favor and reconciliation with your Father in Heaven. Pray that your life will be enveloped by His Spirit, your life hidden in Christ. I cannot promise you that all your troubles will go away. Neither the Scripture nor my experience of the Christian life would support such a claim. But I can promise you that you will find a whole new way to calculate your wealth and in becoming ‘rich towards God’ you will know that life to the full which Jesus promised to us.

The word from the Word is the best investment advice ever given, from the Lord Himself. “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)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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How Rich Am I

How rich I am since Jesus came my way

Redeemed my soul and turned my night to day

How very rich how very rich I am

 

Such peace and joy I never knew before

And countless blessings from His boundless Store

How very rich how very rich I am

 

There's a greater glory in a sunset

A brighter twinkle in a star

There's much more promise in a rainbow

More music in a singing bird by far

All things have changed my eyes once blind can see

The whole wide world is now a symphony

And with all this Heav'n is my destiny

How rich I am

 

 

John W. Peterson

1956. Renewed 1984 John W. Peterson Music Company

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