Once my husband and I started our retirement nest egg, local financial advisers mysteriously knew about it and sought us out, eager to “handle our money.”
We received invitations to free meals where they'd make their pitch, talking about the good returns they could get us. As I listened, I thought, I want to make good investments, but my life on earth ends at death, so I wonder what I should do in light of eternity? I have an insider's tip, and it’s legal for me to give it to you: earth's currency will be useless in heaven.
At our dinners, we heard much about investment vehicles: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, and real estate. No matter which vehicle they talked about, the presenter’s point was always for us to make a profit on the capital we invested. Some, of course, carried a degree of risk.
Many vehicles sounded good, and we made use of the information, but for believers, building up treasures in heaven through our giving beats all the touted investments. It’s a sure thing, and the profits are out of this world.
Jesus addressed money and possessions more than heaven and hell in His Word.
Generous giving requires an eternal perspective. Open-handed giving often slams against human nature which seems to urge us to make more, stash more, spend more. It helps to acknowledge that God owns everything, not us, and to ask Him to help us resist the temptation to covet more possessions.
Paul told the Philippian believers that he had learned to be content, implying it didn’t happen overnight. We, too, can learn contentment, and we can learn to use the investment vehicle called “laying up treasures in heaven.”
What eternal investments are you making?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson enjoys living with her husband in the lovely Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers and Christian Women’s Connection and volunteers for the local hospital. She authored a book called Hitting Pause, a collection of her articles and devotions. Her articles also appear in the Branson Tri-Lakes News.