Investing For Eternity Series

Before going to Europe on business, a man drove his Rolls-Royce to a downtown New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000. The loan officer swallowed hard and asked for collateral. The man replied, “Well then, here are the keys to my Rolls-Royce.”

The loan officer promptly asked a clerk to drive the car into the bank's underground parking for safe-keeping and gave the man $5,000.

Two weeks later, the man returned to the bank and asked to pay off his loan and get his car back. The loan officer said, “That will be $5,000 in principle and $15.40 in interest,” The man wrote out a check, got up, and started to walk away.

“Wait sir,” the loan officer called after him. “While you were gone, I learned you're a millionaire. Why in the world would you need to borrow $5,000?”

The man smiled. “Where else could I safely park my Rolls-Royce in Manhattan for two weeks and only pay $15.40?” (Adapted from a commercial; www.PreachingToday.com)

That businessman used his resources wisely.

As we approach the soon return of Christ, believers must use the resources God has entrusted to them just as wisely. This is not a time to squander those resources. It’s a time to invest those resources in such a way that Jesus gets a good return on His investment when He returns. If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 25, Matthew 25, where Jesus tells us how to handle His money.

Matthew 25:14-15 For it [i.e., the kingdom of heaven] will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away (ESV)

Jesus, of course, is talking about Himself, who entrusts His property to His servants. That’s you and me who profess faith in Him. He gives them talents. Now, these are not special abilities, as we think about talents today. They are large sums of money. A common worker in Bible days would have to work 6,000 days or almost 17 years (i.e., 16.67 years) to earn one talent.

In today’s US economy, with the last year’s (2020) median income at $68,400, that adds up to a whopping 1.14 million dollars! So Jesus gives one servant roughly 5 million dollars, another servant 2 million dollars, and a third servant 1 million dollars. It’s the accumulated wages a person can earn in a lifetime.

So what does Jesus want you to do with all that money? How does He want you to manage it, so He receives a good return on His investment in you? Well, first of all...

RECEIVE HIS INVESTMENT IN YOU.

Accept it as His money, not yours, and welcome what He has given you to manage on His behalf.

You see, everything you have belongs to Jesus! Verse 14 says in is “HIS property,” so don’t treat it as your own; treat is as His!

Cordell Dick put it this way: “Since we are only stewards of the possessions God has seen fit to give us, every decision we make relating to our possessions has a spiritual implication. I wonder sometimes what difference it would make in our spending if Jesus had to appear in bodily form to co-sign all our checks before they would be negotiable” (Cordell Dick, Christian Leader, December 20, 1988; www.PreachingToday.com).

When you realize that it is His money you’re spending, you might spend it a little differently. Jesus made an investment in you! Don’t squander that investment.

This reminds me of a scene in that old movie, Hoosiers. The movie tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team wins the state championship after many losing seasons. In the movie, an alcoholic named Shooter has failed at most things in life—but he has an extraordinary knowledge of and passion for the game of basketball.

So the coach works with Shooter to give him a second chance in life. He asks Shooter to be his assistant coach, and soon Shooter is on the bench.

Very quickly, the little-known Hickory High School basketball team starts to win games. Then, during a pivotal game, the coach asks the referee to take him out of the game. The ref doesn't know what the coach is up to, but he tosses him from the game.

Shooter is terrified. The end of the game is near, and the score is tied. The Hickory players call a time out. In the team huddle, all eyes are on Shooter, including his son's, who never thought his dad should be in this position in the first place. Take a look (show video: Hoosiers—Shooter Runs the Picket Fence, www.youtube. com/watch?v=C2ILSuQOmEg).