“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.”
[2 Thes 1:11]
Hi friends. Long time no blog. Welcome to the last quarter of the year. I’ll skip the typically long pleasantries and just say I’m happy to be back, and I’m happy that you’re here. And into the blog post for today we go!
I’m convinced that when God wants to get a message across, He can use any and everything to do so. I’m grateful for His choice to use relatable examples and analogies to aid our understanding. That shows His commitment to our sanctification and transformation process. When scripture says to get wisdom and with all our getting, get understanding[Prov 4:7], e get why (Naija lingo for there’s a reason for that). Understanding can make it easier to apply wisdom. Scripture says “Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established”[Prov 24:3]. Not only does God care about your knowledge of the truth, He cares that you understand it too.
Anyways, I sensed the Lord reiterate something to me in very relatable terms a while ago that I want to share with you. I hope it speaks to you . Let’s get into it.
I was looking at an investment bank account of mine which holds some money. Just like many investment accounts, the fluctuations have been constant. However, my gripe with this particular account is that there has been very little return. Apart from that, there seems to be a ceiling(not too far from the initial investment) that it continuously hits. Now, I’d ask that you please humour me for a moment and employ your imagination on this one. Just imagine you invested $8 five years ago in a mutual fund and over the past 5 years, it has danced around $8.5, $9.5, $9, $10, then $9 again, $8.5 again… you get the drill. This has been a repeated cycle and somehow, it never goes beyond $10. I can categorically and emphatically tell you that the value of $10 when you initially invested is not akin to what it is today. Not only would I classify this as a no gain situation, but rather a loss! Because the value of what I put in is now less than it was when I invested it.
Gosh, this feels a little too personal of an example but very practical – Gallo olive oil used to be $6, and today, it’s a great ‘deal’ if you can get it for $10( I’m clearly not over this. There’s a fresh wave of annoyance every time). This is to buttress the point that not only have the prices of items gone up, but that the value of a dollar has depreciated(reduced in value) significantly over time. Perhaps, the value of your $8 then is now of equivalent worth to your $10 today because … inflation. Or even worse, perhaps your $10 five years later is now worth less than the $8 you invested initially. At that point, I think we can all agree that it is not a worthy investment as the goal and intent of investments is to gain worthwhile returns. Okay, I just wanted to paint the picture in a way that you get it. Having this in mind, I would hope that you can understand my annoyance with this investment account. (P.S, In case your mind goes there, I have every intention to pull out of this investment, but follow me to get the point of this.)
Here’s the point I sensed the Lord was trying to make to me. Our lives here on earth to God are in some(if not all) ways investments. In a quick moment, it’s as though I got a glimpse through God’s eyes of how it looks and feels when we are not yielding returns despite all the Lord has invested in us. When scripture says that we were created anew in Christ Jesus to do the good works He planned for us in advance[Eph 2:10], that is an investment. Our obedience and alignment with God to do the works He has assigned to us will bear fruit aka “return on investment”. No parable more clearly illustrates this like that of the talents in Mat 25(v 14-30). In this parable, the master reprimands the third servant for not stewarding the gift entrusted to him in such a way that it grew. He essentially points out the failure to be fruitful and multiply. I’m a firm believer of the fact that this command first issued in the very beginning, after creation of man, was not limited to biological reproduction. Fruitfulness and multiplication ought to be evident with all we’re entrusted with. Gen 2 lets us know that before man was placed in the garden, there were no crops growing on the earth because it had not yet rained AND there was no man to cultivate the soil. Our placement on the earth is to be productive. DISCLAIMER: This is not to take away from our Being. The first call from God is to Himself, but with that call subsequently comes assignments.
The first call from God is to Himself, but with that call subsequently comes assignments.
In the parable of the ten servants in Luke 19, or the three servants as seen in Mat 25, we see that the third servant failed to steward his investment wisely because he was afraid… fear(check out “The Paralytic called fear” if you haven’t. It’ll bless you). What does this look like for us? What silent fear have you allowed to hinder you from walking in the obedience needed to yield return? I think that it is crucial that I point out the fact that ‘return’ here does not solely refer to material gain. Returns can also refer to the fruit of your salvation seen in character[Phil 1:11], or even the fruit of the spirit [Gal 5:22-23]. Return is seen in you imaging Christ. The question is : where in your life have you suppressed the expression of the Spirit? Remember that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but rather of power![2 Tim 1:7]. God gives us seeds in various forms – talents, gifts, money, opportunities, ideas, etc. How have you sown this seed and cultivated the soil to experience growth? Are you hoarding or burying your seed for fear of failure? God gives seed to the sower[2 Cor 9:10]. The seed you are given comes with expectations – GO and SOW.
God gives seed to the sower.
The seed you are given comes with expectations – GO and SOW.
I’m reminded on the parable of the fig tree seen in Luke 13:6-9. Just like that fig tree, our existence today is proof of God’s mercy. Just like me and my investment account which I mentioned earlier, God isn’t obligated to stay committed to that which isn’t fruitful, but in His mercy, He graces us with chance after chance to get it right. Each day is an opportunity to commit to being fruitful by stewarding our time and resources wisely. It truly does come down to obedience. Jesus tells us “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” [Luke 12:48]. Is your life giving God a return on His investment?
Is your life giving God a return on His investment?
All of this can sound incredibly daunting if you imagine that fruitfulness is solely a work of your own. The good news is that God’s invitation to be fruitful is in partnership with Him. When we are led by His spirit and faithfully obedient, we will live by His wisdom and be beneficiaries of that same wisdom. The wisdom of God is fruitful. A worthy investment is one who lives by the wisdom of God. Ultimately, all of our fruit comes from Him [Hosea 14:8].
‘A worthy investment is one who lives by the wisdom of God.’
“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do” [Eph 5:15]
It is my prayer that we will be ready when the Lord comes and He will find us able to testify that like Paul, we fought the good fight, finished our course and kept the faith. I invite you to join me in the prayer below.
Prayer: Dear Lord, your Word makes it abundantly clear that you have equipped and prepared us for good works. In Christ, you created us anew for good works. Scripture tells us that we have access to all we need that pertains to life and godliness, and we can receive them by coming to know you. You call us a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a peculiar people, that we may proclaim your praises. You Lord, see us as worthy investments. Your Holy Spirit is proof of your investment. You gave me yourself, and for that I am grateful. Thank you for continually pouring into me and giving me time to grow. I know that worthy investments are identified by returns so I ask that you help me. Help me to see myself the way you see me. Help me to agree with what you see and by so doing, I will bring forth fruit and returns to your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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