Invest in loving one another

Thanksgiving? A week away or every day! This Thanksgiving holiday we should celebrate as a special “Thanksgiving” Day for all God has invested in us.
Following Thanksgiving Day is another day that has come to be known as “Black” Friday. It is supposed to be the greatest shopping day of the year when those who choose to do so can find the best deals ever in the market place.
What an opportunity to get ready or begin getting ready for Christmas and all the gift giving and receiving that goes on at that time of year.
A lot of investments are made during “black” Friday. These are investments and plans to stimulate, revitalize, develop, and/or show appreciation not only in business, but to those closest to us in our personal relationships.
If we are to live wisely, we must invest not only in temporary moments of pleasure, but also in the eternity that lies before all of us. Moments of pleasure in this life are enjoyable but fleeting; however, what we invest in eternity never fades.
This is why Paul told the rich in Timothy’s church that they were to be “laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:19). “Laying up” or investing in eternity applies to us today.
Most affluent and prosperous people work very hard to see that their money is invested in safe, profitable, money-making investments. This is why they put their money into stocks and bonds, property, art, or other investments that will eventually reap healthy dividends. They want to see their fortune grow.
Likewise, God expects you to be wise with the finances He has entrusted to you. This is made clear in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, where Jesus commends the servants who caused their resources to grow and rebuked the servant who did nothing to increase his financial capacity. Three servants, but the one who thought he had nothing to invest lost what he had.

It is not God’s plan, nor is it good common sense to think we have nothing we may invest, or to enter into great debt in the hope of doing or being better tomorrow.
The money you spend on your own pleasures right now is gone once it is spent. It is normal for you to enjoy the finances you have worked so hard attain. You should enjoy them. But to spend all of it on yourself here and invest none of it into your eternal future is simply stupidity. What you spend on yourself right now in this life is gone once you have died.
So don’t spend all your money on your earthly existence and forget to “lay up” a good foundation for the eternity that lies in your future.
I’m not asking you for your money. I’m not suggesting that you give a great donation to your church or favorite charity, although that isn’t a bad idea. I am offering you counsel to not overspend on this “black” Friday or any time during the coming holiday season. Christmas is about investing…it is about the One who invested His all…He made His investment in people. He made His investment in you in the hopes of reaping the eternal reward of fellowship with you for all eternity.
With thanksgiving for what little or much you have, invest that which is most desired by our Lord Jesus Christ; and by faith prepare for yourself a wealthy existence in the eternity that lies before you!
Invest your heart. Invest your life. Invest your self. Invest what God has given you so that others may also reap eternal dividends.
The greatest investment you can make is in “loving one another.”
With Thanksgiving, let us all do just that. The return on investment will be greater than we can imagine.
Rev. Dr. John I Chamness is pastor of the Family Worship Center A/G in Chester. He may be reached by phone at 573-547-7634 or by email at johnchamness@att.net.