The Greatest Investment Advice Ever Given
The king held vast amounts of gold in his treasury, so risk another investment, especially in a foreign country. It was far to travel; over 1,000 miles away, and 2 countries buffered him between his well-defended lands and the Italian peninsula’s Roman empire. The Romans still didn’t have the technology to dare try to cross the mountains to reach him; besides, he felt they had reached the end of their expansion. But why did his counselors keep encouraging him to make the investment? Such a small investment too, only a small amount of gold, but the time, and effort, logistics, language barriers, and choice of emissary to send seemed too much to bother to consider. The king summoned his counselors again. They rushed in, eager to persuade the king to visit this potential ally. The counselors were wise; they had to be. Those that were not had been “dismissed” by the king. To become a counselor was to be completely loyal to the kingdom, giving advice that benefited the kingdom’s present AND future. If ever one of these counselors ever tried to benefit themselves at the expense of the kingdom, it not only meant death, it meant fates worse than death. The king had reason to trust these counselors, to a certain degree; they had all passed several of his tests.
“My king, it is only 2 months journey there and back, I can go in your stead,” said one.
“In my stead” thought the king, how presumptuous that they would think I should leave my kingdom for over two months to make a treacherous journey, all just to attend a coronation, in a country I have never visited. The king pushed away thoughts of treason or a coup while he was gone. His country was successful, he was loved and feared by his subjects and he felt he had many good years ahead of him. The counselors prattled on while he stroked his beard in thought.
“It is a small investment sire, and has the potential for a strong ally against the Romans.”
His people feared the Roman’s due to the legends, but he was not concerned. His merchant class even profited from trade to them and his growing tax funds attested to it.
“Sir, the Romans have been advancing in technology, they have been able to cross mountains before, in large forces. And, if a member of this family rises to becomes a senator of Rome, it would indeed prove a worthy investment for our nation”.
“We should make haste my lord, for the astronomers say the time is near…”
The king pondered, perhaps his kingdom would benefit from an inside alliance with the royal family in his lifetime but if it helps gather intelligence for future generations, then it would be a worthwhile return on investment. Even if the alliance is never needed, it was always beneficial to create goodwill in the countries bordering his buffering countries…
“Sire, shall I prepare a caravan?”
The king turned to his most trusted counselor. This counselor was wise in the way of mathematics and statistics. His wisdom was vital to the growth of the country, and helped keep production in pace with the population growth.
The king beckoned “What say you, for you have been silent all this time”. The king was concerned because his counselor, normally forthright and bold had been consumed with reading the ancient books. The king knew he could depend on this counselor for an answer gilded with reason and bolstered by facts and statistics.
The counselor spoke “We know the prophecies, sir, I… I have never seen this star… so bright… I feel drawn to it; I believe we are to follow the star.
The king was puzzled, his stoic sage had become a starry eyed astronomer… but it was unanimous, all the counselors wanted to go.
The king ordered, “Prepare my caravan, load the gold, we depart at once”.
In Rome, the governor’s praetorian guard kept watch. The governor had raised the level of alert and was becoming more agitated. He had been warned that a coup was imminent or perhaps a revolution, two events the governor dreaded the worst. In either way, the governor would be removed from power… if he lost. He was ruthless, and for that, he kept power, his houses and gardens, his wife and mistresses, his family and his son’s legacy, and his fortunes. He guarded all this with a pre-emptive viciousness, quickly killing anyone or group that opposed him.
It was an uneasy peace in this Roman protectorate. The guard was soon to be relieved for the evening. Then he would go to the temples to make sacrifice to all the gods in hope that his son, Nereus, would grow to be a praetorian guard too or perhaps one day, a senator. He wanted his son to be great, to be famous for his service to Rome.
He was already in training and Nereus was proving his worth. He excelled with the short sword and spear, knew all the gods and their influences. During his education, Nereus had been taught well the history of Rome and what was expected of a Roman soldier. He was taught to worship the emperor and if needed to sacrifice his life to protect his assigned dignitary. He took his duty seriously, the same as his father. He had read of the Greek philosophers and was taught to identify trends. Since he was charged with serving in Judea, he read and learned the languages of the indigenous peoples there. He studied their history but when he studied the scrolls of the Torah and began to see a trend in the prophecies. This was what the Roman counselors debated with the governor. They were appointed by the emperor to protect Rome’s investment in Judea and they swore allegiance that they would not fail. The Jews they interrogated spoke of rebellion and a return of a Jewish king instead of Roman. This enraged the Roman governor, Herod. He had heard this too from the king that just came in by caravan from the east. His counselors were all too eager to tell him about the new king announced by a star. Herod’s own advisors reminded him of the prophecy “ And you Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah since from you shall come a ruler who is the shepherd my people Israel.
King Balthazar praised his counselors for finding such welcoming lodgings but also chided them for telling Herod too much. The king from the east became concerned when Herod asked them to lead him to the new king. He thought Herod already knew of this.
. When Balthazar arrived at the stable, he sensed this was truly a worthwhile investment of time and gold, even though the child was in a lowly stable, it was clear that there was special event. His counselors and other travelers with him sensed it too. With the star directly overheard they heard the shepherds recount the stories of how they too were directed here. Kings and shepherds bowing before a child in a stable. He could tell this family had a charismatic power and knew this kind of power made the best king, more so than one with military might and enormous riches. He saw many others bowing and worshipping the child; his country was not the only one convinced that this child would one day be a king. more than a king. Little did Balthazar know the significance. This was a good investment in his countries future… in his future. Not only was he made famous as one of the 3 kings that visited Jesus Christ, but also he made an investment that has had immeasurable returns. His investment transcended comparison to any financial reward; his investment had eternal rewards for him, his country, and all of humanity.
At times though, Nereus wondered if there was more to humanity than what he and his father had studied, and had been witness too. His study of the Greek and Roman gods and his study of the God of the Jews conflicted in his mind so much that he knew that there had to be something missing in his studies. He saw Herod mercilessly crush a rebellion in Judea. He heard of Roman conquest in far away lands and of how the government imposed the language, economy, and religion on the conquered land. But was this all there was to humanity? Conquest and then sacrifice to the empire? Then what after life? There were many questions in Nereus’s life. He was a successful soldier and under his father’s influence, growing in stature but still he searched… he became concerned when he heard the eastern king and his men talking to king Herod. He knew that Herod would stop at nothing to protect his kingdom, as any Roman governor would. But he could not keep from thinking about the star the counselors were telling Herod about, and what of the prophecies he learned about reading the Torah? Was the God of the Jews about to send a Messiah? Would the Roman’s be able to fight the Jews then? Would they want to? If the Torah was right, then it would be better to worship the God of the Jews rather than …. Nereus knew his thoughts were treason, they too were revolutionary, a new King, a new religion for Rome? Then Nereus heard the order. All of them? Yes, King Herod proclaimed that all males in the Judea region of Bethlehem under the age of 2 be executed. Herod’s own counselors told him the Child would be born in Bethlehem, and now these visitors from over 1000 miles away substantiated the story. Nereus had heard of genocide, his fellow soldiers had executed entire villages that resisted the Roman expansion, but to execute just children?
Balthazar would not know how helpful the gold was to the holy family. Perhaps it was used to bribe guards for safe passage to Egypt, away from Herod’s bounty hunters. Perhaps it was even used to buy off a hunter, offering more in gold than what the kingdom would pay. Maybe it was simply used to buy lodging. What is known is what was written about the 2,000 year old event. Balthazar was told in a dream to not return to Herod after the visit to Jesus. Balthazar trusted. Joseph was told in a dream to leave Herod’s kingdom and escape to Egypt. Joseph trusted. Joseph gave up his home, family, friends, and career and took Mary and followed God’s plan. They all escaped Herod’s mass execution of the males in Bethlehem. Herod was furious and Nereus listened as others told the stories of how kings and shepherds alike bowed before the Child and presented gifts. One of the finest material items owned then was gold, and a man presented it to Jesus as a gift. I was the best material item man could offer to Jesus, who then would offer to man something that cannot be measured in currency; something that cannot be bought with any amount of money. When considering that Jesus was the Son of God, it was doubtful the gold was needed at all for since it was not yet His time, God would not have let him be harmed by anyone, however powerful. Herod was no match for the power of God.
The first Apostle, Andrew was told by John the Baptist that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, the one that would save the Jews. Andrew met Jesus and believed. He gave up all he had worked for up to that point and followed Jesus. So too did another follower, Nathaniel, who after just meeting Jesus exclaimed ”You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” Jesus answered him “ Do you believe because I told you that I saw you? You will see better things than this!” John 1:49. And see they did. In their presence, Jesus performed wonderful miracles, curing blind and sick people. He even brought to life those who had been dead several days in the tomb, including himself! Many came to believe in Jesus because of what He did, and many because of what He said. Jesus met a woman at a well in Samaria. Jesus told the woman all she had ever done and told her that he was the Messiah. She told others in the town and the others invited Jesus to stay. The others said to the woman, “ We no longer just believe because of your word for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is truly the savior of the world”. John 4.
These followers of Jesus , people called Disciples of Christ, invested their lives. They risked punishment by the government at the time to tell others of the truth about Jesus. The disciples chose to tell others and spread the Gospel. They had learned through the stories and good works of Jesus that if they followed, others would prosper and in turn they too would be rewarded. Jesus said to them, “I am the vine and you are my branches, he that abideth in me brings forth much fruit for without me, you can do nothing. In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.” John 14:2. The disciples chose well, they realized they would rather have an eternal mansion instead of an earthly one since with an earthly house, they would need to be concerned with mortgages, taxes, insurance, liability, pests, maintenance, cleanliness. They knew that one day, death was certain, and they loved the words God told them, it gave them comfort, assurance, and peace. Those were feelings more precious than mansions and gold. They knew scripture “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain to build it.” They heard Jesus say “ Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth were moth and decay destroy and thieves break in and steal, but store up treasures in Heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matt 6:19. They wanted to be with God and go to Heaven when their time on earth was done. They saw the miracles and heard the wise words. Jesus assured them to love and serve others was worthwhile.
“ The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has to buy that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price he goes and sells all that the has to buy it. Again the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown in the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full, they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good in buckets. What is bad they throw it away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” Matthew 14:44.
The disciples were willing to give up all they had and give up the potential to build for themselves material goods some were poor so perhaps for them it was easy. But being poor sometimes creates a temptation to do anything to become rich yet they resisted that temptation. Some were rich tax collectors but when they heard Jesus, and saw his healing power, they believed and followed too. They gave up possessions to help the poor. Jesus told them not to worry. “ Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky, they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say ‘ What are we to eat or what are we to wear? All these things the pagans seek. Your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” Matt 6:25
Those who had a difficult time accepting the miracles were those who were very rich and powerful. Why? Were they worshipping themselves or their fortunes? Did those things create in them a false sense of security? Did their material goods create too many diversions and distractions for them? Do they for you? Where they able to forget about their own mortality? You must help others with your blessings and gifts. They are not your lands, oh, they might be deeded in your name, but no person owns the land, or owns the millions of dollars.
Once I was auctioning antiques owned by Albee Prince of the music group The Four Coins. He had a special religious item that had been in his family for generations. When I asked him, are you sure you want to sell this? He said to me, “What am I going to do? Take it with me in my casket?” He knew others could benefit from it. When John D. Rockefeller died, his accountant was asked by the press “how much did John leave behind?” The accountant answered wisely, “All of it.”
Have you ever been to a “poor” person’s funeral, one that made was devoted to God and helping others? They eulogize them with stories of how the deceased aided others. The family offers the survivors support and reminders of Heaven. Have you ever been to a rich person’s funeral, there is gossip about who connived the decedent out of their fortune; there is slander and bitterness about the other greedy members of the family and why someone else is more deserving of the inheritance.
You don’t own the land; it is leased to you by God. If you still think you own the land, then the land owns you. All your “belongings” are from God.
Jesus was asked “ is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not”.
Jesus said “ Show me the coin that pays the census tax” . They handed him the Roman coin.
He said “whose image is on this and whose inscription?”.
They said to him, “Caesar”.
At that he said to them “ Then repay to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what belongs to God.”
At these wise words many additional people followed Jesus. But there were some that still held on to the worldly ways and self-comfort. A young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to go to Heaven. He told Jesus he already kept the commandments. Jesus said to him “ go and sell all you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. The man left. Jesus said “ Amen I say to you it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Again I say to you it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Everyone who has given up houses or lands for the sake of My name will receive a hundred times more and inherit eternal life. “
Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."
Jesus replied, "Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?" Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ’What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
"Then he said, ’this is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ’
"But God said to him, ’you fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Then he said to them, ’Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ " Luke (12:15)
PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN AND THE POOR MAN
Luke 16:19-31 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ’Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ "But Abraham replied, ’Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ "He answered, ’Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ "Abraham replied, ’They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ "’No, father Abraham,’ he said, ’but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ "He said to him, ’If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’"
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The rich man failed to realize that he was a trustee of God’s blessings and was to share those blessing with humanity to alleviate suffering. The rich man worshipped and served himself instead of God. His priority was himself instead of others. He could have helped and benefited many of his fellow men both materially and spiritually, the same way we can right now.
Jesus was teaching that much responsibility comes with wealth and that Salvation must be received now, in this lifetime, for there is no second chance.
Ask yourself, why do you want to be rich? To become great? “He who wants to be greatest among you shall be servant of the rest.” Those are the words of God. (Matt 20:26) We should not invest to make ourselves rich but to make all as a whole rich, not just monetarily. How then should we serve? Matt 25:35 gives the answer, the disciples asked Jesus when did we serve you Lord? Jesus said “For I was hungry and you gave me to eat, thirsty and you gave me to drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.” When we cared for others, then we served Jesus.
Do you want to be rich to achieve peace of mind? His Apostles gave up everything they owned to follow Jesus. And the Lord always used the greeting “Peace be with you” to them. Also, St. Francis had a prayer:
Lord, make us a channel
of your peace.
Where there is hatred
let us sow your love;
Where there is injury, your pardon Lord;
Where there is discord, your harmony
Where there is doubt, true faith in you;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, ever joy.
Oh Master, grant that we may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood
as to understand;
To be loved as to love with all our soul.
For it is in giving
that we receive;
It is in pardoning
that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are
born to eternal life.
Amen
Not only did the disciples hear the Word of God, they witnessed the sacrifices Jesus made. They saw his sacrifices and heard his voice. “ Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit..” John 12:24. You can exalt yourself on the stalk of wheat and enjoy a brief high life, or you too can fall to the ground, plant a seed, and become productive. “No greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for a friend.” We are called to be productive: Jesus said “ Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown in the fire.” Matt 3:10. Therefore we must invest our time, energy, wisdom, talents; we must not be lazy or selfish with your blessings. We must bear good fruit.
Matt25:14 PARABLE OF THE TALENTS
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his ability; and straightway took his journey.
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them an other five talents.
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained an other two.
But he that had received one went and buried it in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
After a long time the lord of those servants came and reckoned with them.
And so he that had received five talents came and brought the other five talents, saying, Lord, thou delivered unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou delivered unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with interest.
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth
Matthew, Chapter 25
What is your talent? What is the return God seeks on his investment in us?
Do not confuse investing with gambling. Stay out of Vegas or other areas that tempt you to gamble. They do not build huge casinos with the winner’s money. So what does that tell you? Sin is the middle name of casino; anyplace that bills itself as the city of sin is not a place I would want to travel. Even Vegas’s new motto of “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is an open invitation to sin. I pray that the people of “Lost” Vegas may become the people of “found” Vegas.
Do not invest short term for yourself, but try to look long term, next generation, even 200-300 years in the future. . The apples you eat are from trees planted by the generation before you, they planted them know they may never see the fruits of their labor, but it gave them comfort and pride knowing that their children would. A small acorn planted 200 years ago yielded a large tree, which was probably used to make the furniture you are using now. Others too have done so with much foresight. 100 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt saw rapid development and expansion into the forests by commercial and residential interests. He created safe havens for the forests by declaring many off limits to loggers, miners, and homebuilders. Had he not saved the Sequoia National Forest, this book would probably have been written on paper made from those beautiful trees and you would never be able to experience the awe of God’s creation of Yellowstone or Yosemite because they would have become gated communities accessible only to their “owners”.
Therefore, take care in what you invest; do not invest in a sinful enterprise: “Whoever
Breaks one of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. “ John 5:19. Do not invest in businesses that would promote unchristian ideals like violence, boxing, militaria, ultimate fighting, fake wrestling: “ He who lives by the sword will die by the sword.” Remember the Beatitude “ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” John 5:9.
Even if the investment pays great dividends, like porn stocks or tobacco you must avoid the temptation. The Son of God himself said “ What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world but to lose one’s soul… for the Son of Man will come… and repay everyone according to his conduct. John 16:26
Divestment:
If you ever do find your investment becoming stagnant, or changing course to a sinful nature, you need an exit strategy. You need to divest. You need to pull yourself away, quit “cold turkey”. Ever find that you invested in something with a good track record only to find later that it began to drop in value or productivity? Did you buy a computer for educational or business purposes only to find later that you became addicted to pornography? If you have the desire to view porn and you click on a website, then you are addicted to porn. Solution? Get a porn filter with a password only someone else you trust would know. If it’s bad, and you can’t trust yourself to quit, make sure you ask the greatest power for help, God. Pray. Get rid of your computer and use the one at the library. Throw out your computer if you have to. Jesus said “ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. If your hand causes your to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna (the fires of Hell). John 5:28.
What then should we invest? Our children. See that you do not despise one of the little ones. Whoever causes one of those little ones who believe in me e to sin it would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea Matt:18:10 and 18:6. Invest in education, not just the state sponsored education, but spiritual, emotional, mental, and social. You can even invest genetically in your children by discouraging any kind of prejudice or racism and encouraging others meet those of different nationalities. Perhaps a marital love will grow from the matchmaking you do. It has been theorized that when 2 people of different nationalities or race have children, that their children have better immunological response to diseases. Scientist hypothesize that it may be because the child’s DNA is “programmed” to fight diseases common to both countries of ancestral origin. Not only would the child have that advantage over children whose parents are of the same nationality, but the child may be more knowledgeable about the 2 different cultures, more loving, sympathetic, and open towards others of different backgrounds. The child may even have better linguistic and phonetic skills, especially if both parents have different languages or dialects. You can invest words of encouragement, praise, advice… these can grow to help others. Invest in a smile or handshake, in flowers to brighten someone’s day and give them hope, for themselves and humanity. We can invest our words in others, we can be witness to the good of Christianity, the same way many who met or heard of Jesus did.
Years later the newest emperor heard the stories of the guards that crucified Jesus exclaiming he was the Son of God. Nereus’s son (also named Nereus and also risen through the ranks to praetorian guard to the emperor Constantine) would recount his father’s stories of the events that happened during Herod’s days. Under fear of death, he would tell the emperor that he too believed Jesus, not the emperor, was the Son of God. Nereus’s thoughts of a new religion, of a more loving humanity became reality with his son’s faith in Jesus. Constantine proclaimed that the official faith of all of Rome would be Christianity. Nereus achieved more than his father could ever dream. Rather than becoming a powerful senator or king, something materialistic men might look highly upon, Nereus was canonized a saint.
Many of these men invested wisely. The invested property, time, thought and effort into discovering the Truth. Their profits of eternal life in Heaven were more than they could ever have dreamed.
