There’s an old story about a businessman who was granted a single wish by an angel. Of all the things he could wish for, he wanted to see the stock prices for one year in the future. He figured it would be an easy way to get rich over the next year. The angel granted his wish and gave him a New York Times dated one year from that day. The man smiled ear-to-ear as he saw that if he held on to certain stocks he owned and invested in just a few other stocks he would be profoundly rich … then he noticed his obituary on the next page.
If that businessman were you… if you knew you only had one year left to live…
- How would you live it?
- What would you do?
- How would you invest?
- With whom would you want to spend time?
- What would matter more than everything else?
Long before the old jokes and social media posts explaining that position, power and money don’t last forever… Jesus said the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 6:19-20
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
If someone were to look at your schedule, your checkbook, your internet browsing history, your investment portfolio or your smartphone, would they see godly priorities? Jesus tells us that our treasures reveal our priorities. Where and how we spend our time, money, and other resources reveal what we put first in our lives.
It’s time we all started investing in things that last forever… God, God’s Word, and peoples’ souls.
Pastor Anthony
