This post is from Section III of our Investing Challenge.

Here are some thoughts and insights from several of you!

Who has invested in my life? I’ve been pondering that question this month, and there are two very special people who come to mind who have greatly invested in my life, and do so everyday. Those two people are, my parents. What more is there to say?   Being a godly parent is one of the greatest investments in God’s kingdom.
~Rachel C.

 

Many people have invested in my life over the years and encouraged me through different ways. We all face many opportunities to invest in others, and must be always on the lookout for the opportunities around us. Probably the most impacting investments others have made in my life are through words of encouragement. Someone once asked a wise man, “How can you tell if someone needs a word of encouragement?” The wise man paused for a second and replied, “If they’re breathing!”

Often when we invest, we will not know the full ramifications of our investment’s growth. A couple of years ago, I was promoted to a place of management at my job and was extremely unprepared to lead others in this area of operations. However, one of the senior managers noticed not only my faults, but also my needs. He took his personal time and resources to invest in me, teaching me leadership and management skills that I needed to be able to thrive in my new position. This manager was planning on leaving the company shortly and gave his time and resources to me expecting nothing in return. His Christ-like love was a huge encouragement to me. Before he left, he had equipped me with a great foundation of leadership skills that have continued to grow, and be one of my greatest assets. His investment continues to grow in tremendous ways as I teach others principles that he taught me years ago.

-Mark J.

 

Recently, I have been studying the central phrase of the Christian life, Saved by Faith Alone through Grace Alone in Christ Alone. Through the book of Romans, Christ has shown me that it is nothing that I do but that God imputed His Son’s Righteousness onto me an ungodly sinner. And that my filth was placed on Christ upon the cross, past present and future. So why should we invest?

1. Because of Love for our Saviour

A true Christian who is saved by grace will experience, a desire for the things of God, a hatred for sin in his own life, and a desire to love Christ above everything else.

2. An acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as Lord

Through the teaching of Dr. John MacArthur, I have come to realize that the Christian must come to a place where he acknowledges Christ Jesus as Lord and brings everything under Christ. This begins at salvation where Christ takes Self off the throne of our lives and comes and indwells in us. “Either He is Lord of all or He is not Lord at all”

Only when we make Christ the center of our lives can we truly invest in heavenly things. “Set your affections on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.”

So what is eternal? That narrows it down quite a bit, I have thought of three things, God, His Word, and the Souls of Men.

Becoming disciplined in these areas is very key, How can we invest in God Himself? by building a relationship with Him through His word and through prayer.

How can we invest in His Word? Taking time each day to read, memorize and meditate on God’s Word is essential it is the weapon of our spiritual life, our love letter from God Himself, and above all essential if we wish to stay true to Him.

How can we invest in the souls of men? Many times we think of going and witnessing, however, family is our first priority, the hardest place to be a missionary is in our own home. We can destroy in a second a relationship it took years to build. A lashing word, a temper, and many other things can destroy relationships. This is why we must guard our heart and our mouth, “Set a guard O Lord before my mouth keep the doors of my lips.” This is why in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is concerned with our hearts, not just our outward actions.

~ Nathan B.