Investing for the Future

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

I’m not an attentive investor. I don’t play the stock market or even pay much attention to it. I do have a retirement account, but I don’t manage it myself. What I do, like most of you, is automatically have money taken out of my paycheck every month for my retirement. If I waited until I felt like it, or until I had money left over at the end of the month, I’d probably never save anything. If I want to put away money, it must be automatically built into my budget otherwise it would never get done. Then, I’d get to retirement and have nothing.

In today’s passage, Paul addressed investing for our future. He spoke of those who have money which would likely apply to most of us in the United States. He said that we must not place our hope on the uncertainty of riches. The market goes up and down and money doesn’t last forever. Rather, we must place our hope in God, and invest accordingly. Daily, we must give of ourselves to pursue things that do last forever: following God, seeking his will, and loving those around us.

If I waited to do those things until I felt like it or had time though, I’d probably never get around to them. So, for me, I must purposefully schedule them in my life. I set my alarm early each day so that I spend my first hour of the day with God. I’ve committed to a weekly Bible study/recovery meeting which is now just part of my weekly schedule. Likewise, I attend a jail recovery meeting once a week. If I waited to invest in my spiritual future until I felt like it, it would never get done. So, I must purposefully build these investments into my schedule.

Investing in the eternal doesn’t mean we save up only for the afterlife. According to Paul, those who are generous and rich in good works invest in their future here on Earth, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. If we want to experience the life of joy and peace for which we were made, we must purposefully invest in that life every day.