A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Tuesday,
May
25,
2021
An almost
glistening white farm house here in Lancaster County
Click on photo for larger view
Click on photo for larger view
"A
Consideration Of Investments"
Listen to this message on your audio player.
"Do not
lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do
not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19,20). "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).
Several
weeks ago I received an email from Josh, a newer friend
I got acquainted with in my home office. He followed up
our meeting together with an email expressing an
interesting and quite encouraging perspective on
ministry with these words, "Thanks for investing in
me, Steve".
Josh is in his late forties and leads
a ministry called One
Life Institute,
a nine month Christian Gap Year Program for students
who want to grow in their faith, experience genuine
community, serve others, and travel while earning
college credit. This made me
realize, regardless of age, how we may invest in people
and we may be invested in.
We are all
involved in some type of investing. According to
Investopedia, "Investing is the act of allocating
resources, usually money, with the expectation of
generating an income or profit. You can invest in
endeavors, such as using money to start a business, or
in assets, such as purchasing real estate in hopes of
reselling it later at a higher price."
Most of
the time we think of investing in a financial
sense but Josh's comment makes me consider the sense of
investing in people and ministry, which has several very
critical differences. The income or profit we expect is
not financial but rather a stake in the Kingdom.
The resource we allocate may be money such as a
contribution to a church or ministry but Josh's comment
reminded me it's also our time.
In our
first daily text it occurs to me that a suitable synonym
for "lay up" could be "invest" and we can understand
Jesus saying "Invest in heaven, where neither moth
nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in
and steal".
Our second
text applies to virtually all reading this. We are "rich
in this present age" in comparison to most living
on this planet. We often hear term "1%", applying to the
super rich here in America, which may include a few
reading this but not most of us. However from the
perspective of the world's population I believe many of
us (probably most) are in the top 10%.
Paul's
charge to them ("the rich in this present age") and us
is:
1)
Don't be haughty (proud)
2)
Don't set your hope on the
uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides
us with everything to enjoy.
3)
Do good, be rich in good works (investing our time),
5)
Be generous and ready to share (investing our our
resources),
What a
great end result likely alluding to Christ's own
teaching in our first text, "thus storing up
treasure for ourselves as a good foundation for the
future, so that we may take hold of that which is
truly life".
I can
think of so many who have invested in me from my
earliest days as a Christian through Campus Crusade for
Christ, my local church, Bible College and all through
my adult life. I consider those still investing in me in
a variety of ways and am so thankful. Some of you have
made investments in our ministry of dailyencouragement
as well. We are honored that we have many faithful
readers from all over the world who invest their time,
thought, prayers, gracious words and even financial
support as the Lord leads them.
What a joy
also to consider those in whom we've invested (both
individuals and ministries) and the increasingly long
train of impact. We want to continue this type of
investment until we are called home.
As we get
older especially we pay more attention to our net worth
and retirement plan. But I want to primarily focus on my
heavenly, eternal investment portfolio! How about you?
I will not
boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom's fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross
Or human wisdom's fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross
Be
encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father,
help us to remember that our riches here are
gone tomorrow but if we do good, if we are rich
in good works and generous to others, we store
up treasure for ourselves as a good foundation
for the future, so that we may take hold of that
which is truly life. As we serve You here on
earth below we thank You for storing our eternal
inheritance there in heaven above so that it
will never perish, spoil or fade. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"My Worth Is Not In What I Own" Video
Fernando Ortega
along with Keith & Kristyn Getty. We
shared this song yesterday because it fit with
that message as well. Consider these very
thoughtful lyrics:
My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross
My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure,
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other.
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross
I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom's fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross
Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed - my ransom paid
At the cross
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross
My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross
I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure,
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other.
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.
As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross
I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom's fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross
Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed - my ransom paid
At the cross
This loaded clothesline caught our
eye along with the lush garden in the
background.
Click on photo for larger view
Click on photo for larger view
In the summer Lancaster County
provides lots of interesting back-road
scenery.
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
To receive the
"Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday
through email see this
page to subscribe to our email list. You can also
subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or
through a Wordpress email subscription.
(See the email subscription on the right side
after opening this page)
Permissions:
Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and
distribute any material on Daily Encouragement
Net, in part or in whole, in any format,
provided that you do not alter the wording in
any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of
reproduction. It is our desire to spread this
material, not protect or restrict it. We do
request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription
information intact.
We want to thank all who financially
support our ministry. We
realize there are many fine ministries and
causes requesting support but if the Lord
would lead you we surely need and appreciate
the financial support from our readers and
listeners. Our
ministry labor is comprised of approximately
half our time to Daily Encouragement and the
other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies for which we receive compensation.
Each of these ministries essentially is the
same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for
each of us. Our goal for many years is that
each would provide half of our ministry
expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note: We
also provide this easy option due to the
convenience, for international supporters,
and for those who may not be concerned
regarding receiving an official tax
deductible receipt. Click here to
send an offering using PayPal. This
will open to a page that states "Brooksyne
Weber".Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2021 Stephen C. & Brooksyne
Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA