“YOUR PART IN GOD’S PORTFOLIO”
“INVESTING IN OTHERS BECAUSE GOD INVESTED IN ME”
1 Timothy 6:17-19 17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18 Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19 By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.
God blesses His children. Everything we have comes from Him, so we practice obedience when we take what we have been given and use it to bless others and to further the Kingdom of God. Just as God invested in me by sending Jesus to save me, I please Him when I use my blessings of time, money and talent for His glory.
1 John 2:15-17 15 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.
Be eternity focused. John reminds believers that if we are in love with the things of this world, we do not have the love of God within us. Each of us has a choice to make. Are we going to live for the things of this world, or are we going to do what pleases God and a craving for the eternal?
John 13:34-35 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Love God and love others. The two greatest commandments. The world will know us by our love. We show love by investing in others. Again, this investment can take many forms. I can invest with money, with time, with knowledge, with the talents that God has given to me… the list truly is endless. All we have and all we are, can be used for the glory of God and to bless those around us.
HOW ARE YOU INVESTING IN THE CHURCH TODAY? ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WAYS YOU CAN SERVE OR GIVE, OR ARE YOU HOLDING BACK? IF YOU ARE HOLDING BACK, IS IT OUT OF FEAR, SELFISHNESS, OR?
James 5:1-6 Look here, you rich people: Weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. 2 Your wealth is rotting away, and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment. 4 For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 5 You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and killed innocent people, who do not resist you.
James reminds us that a focus on earthly luxury and desires leads only to eternity apart from God. The earth will pass away; we cannot take earthly treasure with us. The treasure we need to invest in is the treasure of lives saved through Jesus. Souls are the wealth that will not rot away like filthy rags, so let us make changes today, asking God how He wants us to invest in drawing more individuals to Him.
Luke 12:31-34 31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. 33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Jesus encourages the disciples and all of us, to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, trusting that God will provide all that we need. We are not called to live from a scarcity mindset, but to walk in faith that God will provide as we invest in His Kingdom by storing our treasures in heaven.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
Humanity is selfish. When we choose to follow Jesus, it takes work to stop living as selfish creatures. What is one way you can focus on gratitude for what God has done and walk out thankfulness through investing eternally?
Read Matthew 6:19-34.
Which verse or verses jumped out at you and why?
What is one area that you are not currently investing in eternally that you can make a change today?
List two different ways that someone God has placed in your life has invested in you.
Read Acts 20:18-36.
Paul invested in people beyond measure. What is one takeaway about investing in others that you have from this passage or the sermon?
Can you think of some other examples where Paul shares how he was investing with eternity in mind?
Re-read Acts 20:24. Can you put words to the emotion of Paul’s declaration of his mission?
Take 5 minutes to think of what your mission statement is for your life. Write it down and share with a trusted friend or your small group.
If your current mission statement needs some refining to be eternally focused, how could you re-write it?
Write out a prayer to God asking Him to open your eyes to how you can practice investing in others and to help build your trust that He will provide for your needs. Read it your prayer over each day for the next week and look for a Scripture passage to add that you can memorize and which will remind you of God’s call for us to invest.
