Day 24 – 90 Days in Proverbs - Investing for Growth
Proverbs 6:1-5 [NKJV] 1 My son, if you become surety for your friend, [If] you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger, 2 You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth. 3 So do this, my son, and deliver yourself; For you have come into the hand of your friend: Go and humble yourself; Plead with your friend. 4 Give no sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids. 5 Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hand [of the hunter], And like a bird from the hand of the fowler.
Who hasn’t ever put themselves at risk financially? It could be investing in risky stocks for the hope of faster gain. It could be, as this proverbs indicates, co-signing on a loan for a friend, or even lending money directly to a friend or family member who you know isn’t reliable. Maybe you overspent on that dream vacation or a designer handbag. Maybe you racked up credit card debt, risking the chance that you may not have money for your rent or car payment, and possibly ruining your credit. Whatever risky situation I may have gotten myself into, this proverbs advises immediate and dramatic steps to correct it. Don’t wait. Start today.
God is concerned that we take care of the financial and physical blessings He has given us, but He is even more concerned about the spiritual blessings He has bestowed on us.
God has invested in us. He gave the precious gift of our Savior, Jesus Christ. God gave us Jesus’ own blood for our spiritual healing and the beating He received was for our physical healing. God gives us His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. God HAS invested a LOT into us and He has given us only so much time on the earth to invest and grow those blessings.
We must use that investment God gave to us wisely. When I realize that I have foolishly invested time and talents in something that is not to His glory, to my own good or to the good of His people or to the good of the world around me, I must take immediate steps to correct that.
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. It begins like this: Verse 14 For [the kingdom of heaven is] like a man traveling to a far country, [who] called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. This parable then outlines very clearly that God expects us to invest what He has given us with an eye toward growth – turning 10 talents into 20 or 5 talents into 10 or one talent into two.
I have a 401K plan with my job. I decide what percentages to invest in which types of plans. Some are riskier than others. I can easily go online and make changes if I see my investments are not producing or as my risk aversion changes with age.
Spiritual investments are the same. If I have foolishly invested my time, talents or gifts in something that is not to God’s glory then I can easily go “on line” in prayer to repent, confess and alter course. Proverbs urges me never to delay that process.
Sisters, God wants His investment in us to be a wise investment. He is not like the foolish man in Proverbs 6, loaning money or goods to an unreliable person. He gives us every resource and opportunity to pay Him back with spiritual growth.
So, if you find yourself in a situation that is a bad investment of your time, spiritual gifts or talents, don’t wait, start right now to correct it.
Prayer — Father God, You have given me so many blessings, the greatest of these include investing Your Spirit and the life of my Savior to give me a greater life today and an amazing, eternal future. Thank You for all you have given me. Help me today to invest my time, talents, spiritual gifts and physical goods wisely – to Your glory, to advance the Gospel and to my own good. In Jesus name I ask. Amen.
Your thoughts —
_____________________________________________________________________________________