The Statement above aping the motto of the United States was a headline recently in a well known investment newsletter. In another investment publication subscribers were advised to “buy gold and get a gun..”, interesting advice!
The wisdom of God versus the wisdom of Man!
So, what should you do? Buy gold? Get a gun? Why are the writers of these newsletters advising their readers to do these things? As Obama Brown and Co print trillions of dollars in an attempt to pay for the greed of mankind, the attraction of gold as an investment is that it doesn’t physically deteriorate and is considered a store of wealth in times of great uncertainty. The objective of these investment analysts is preservation of wealth and prosperity for the future – but can gold and guns really ensure a prosperous and happy future? With trillions of dollars being pumped into the world economy these investment gurus are worried about the threat of inflation eroding the value of personal wealth – not least of all their own! But do these things really offer real security and hope for the future?
The Bible turns the wisdom of these great investment minds on its head:
He who trusts in riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage
Proverbs 11:28
Command those who are rich in this present age, not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy
1 Timothy 6:17
you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold… but with the precious blood of Christ… your faith and hope are in God
1 Peter 1:18-22
The principle we are being introduced to here is that whilst our culture generally considers things like gold and silver of great value, God teaches us that life is the premium commodity in this world, and how we invest our life is of vital importance. There is nothing more valuable to us than life – without it we can do nothing – and it is God who is the ultimate source of life.
This is very different to the view of the analysts who are advising us to put our trust in gold! God is telling us that silver and gold are “corruptible” and ultimately worthless. Why? Because you die and leave it all behind!
The Bible passage from the letter of Peter, quoted above, goes on to describes the blood of Christ as “incorruptible” and “precious”, something which provides us with a certain hope for the future. How can this be? How can something like blood be considered more valuable and less corruptible than a precious metal? If you were to pour 10 mls of blood out on a plate and place beside it an ingot of gold, and leave both items in your garden, which one would still be there a year from now? Of course, it would be the gold – provided your neighbours didn’t get wind that you had left a gold ingot lying around in your garden!
The message here is that material wealth cannot mitigate against the effects of death and the inevitability of the grave. There is something very important about the blood of Christ (i.e. his sacrifice) that can have a transforming effect on our life.
Invest this priceless commodity and gain optimal returns!
How must we invest this priceless commodity – LIFE
Jesus says:
..there is no one who has left houses… or lands for my sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time… and in the age to come eternal life
Mark 10:29-30
What Jesus is teaching us is that we will enjoy a much richer quality of life here and now, if we recognise and accept the value of his sacrifice and all that it has achieved. So, by investing our life in following Jesus and living by his commandments our enjoyment and contentment factor in this life, here and now, will be increased a hundredfold – and that is before we even consider the prospect of what is to come when Jesus returns!
FAQs
Here are two commonly asked questions:
- How do we invest in this amazing offer?
- Once we are invested, when will we get our payout?
Some of the answers are listed below, but there is much more detail contained within the pages of the Bible.
Initial Investment
- Recognise that there is a problem with human nature that needs to be fixed.
- Understand that the death & resurrection of Jesus holds the key to putting this problem right.
- Desire to invest your life in living by the commandments of Christ, summarised by the following:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart mind and soul and love your neighbour as yourself
Matthew 22:34-40
Maturity Date
At the return of Jesus all those people who have tried to maintain the conditions set out in the “initial investment” will receive their reward. Even if they have died in the intervening period the hundredfold growth guarantee still stands!
When Jesus comes in his glory and all the angels with him…all nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another…
Then the King will say to those on his right hand “Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world”
Matthew 25:31-34
In the letter to the Hebrews and chapters 3 and 4 we are encouraged to take God up on His offer “Today”. The opportunity to invest your life in serving Him will not be open forever. The words of Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 30:9:
TODAY… I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, blessing and cursing; therefore, CHOOSE LIFE, that both you and your descendants may live..
Invest TODAY to take advantage of this once in a lifetime offer!
