I have never fully understood investing and I used to find it intimidating. I did not start a retirement fund until I was in my 30’s. Eventually I had an opportunity to talk to a consultant, so I scheduled a meeting to analyze what I was already doing and how I should move forward. I expressed a lot of regret for not doing more, and he gave me a good piece of advice. The best time to start investing is right now!
Followers of Christ are called to invest the message of the gospel in the lives of others. Not only are we supposed to personally grow in faith, but we are also supposed to help others grow in faith. This includes helping lead nonbelievers to an understanding of the gospel. It is often easy to be intimidated by the idea of sharing the gospel, but it is an important part of God’s purpose for us. In Colossians 1:24-29, Paul gives us a good example of the heart we should have as we invest in others.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the Church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. – Colossians 1:24-29
- We invest based upon our position
Paul understood that his role as a minister was to serve God and serve the Church. He was called to make the gospel known so that God could use his obedience to create and strengthen believers in Christ. It is also our job to invest in others, knowing that it is God’s job to produce the results.
- We invest what God has given us
We only have salvation because we have received the message of Christ. God did not reveal Himself to us so that we could conceal the message of His love. His purpose has always been for those who know Him to share what they have received with others.
- We invest in others toward a target
Your goal for investing shapes your method of investing. The goal of investing the gospel is for people to become mature in their walk with Jesus. This means we should tell nonbelievers the danger of rejecting Christ and the importance of faith and repentance. It also means we should help those who do believe to continue growing in faithfulness so that we can become more like Christ.
- We invest with all we have
Investing in others requires hard work. Making God’s love known will often require all of our strength. But when we are fully committed to serving God and making spiritual investments, He strengthens us and uses us to make Himself known to the world.
The greatest investment we can ever make is to tell someone about the gospel. If you find it intimidating or want to do more, the best time to start is now!
– If you’d like to hear the full message, click HERE