“Before you invest, investigate“. This has been the major rule of most investors. The human mind was originally & naturally configured by God to be a success, so it is not surprising to see much investigation before an investment is made. People want to know how lucrative a business is before they venture into it. Companies & organizations are critically analyzed before their shares are bought. No one wants to invest in a company that will soon experience a decline in profit margin or asset base, not to talk of liquidation.
Not too long ago, a popular bank folded up. I also know of a company whose profit dropped drastically because a doctor claimed that their product was harmful to human health. Such things cause some investors to weep. One major characteristic of almost all investments is Uncertainty – no one knows what could come up tomorrow. Some people in an attempt to solve this problem have concluded that the only investment you can have a high degree of certainty about is when you invest in your children. Their belief is that, in future, they get to pay back in many ways. This is true, but in some cases, the children becomes prodigal and in some other cases, the parents die even before their children are equipped enough to yield returns.
Amidst all these, there is only one investment in which you can be 100% sure that you will have a steady return. Jesus revealed it in Matt 6:19-20 … “Don’t store up treasure here on earth, where they can be eaten by moth and get rusty, and where thieves can break in and steal. Store up treasure in heaven where they will never be moth-eaten or rusty and where they will be safe from thieves”.
This doesn’t mean you should not trade or have earthly investments. Rather, it means that you should not see earthly investments as the best and most valuable. Don’t confide in them for futurity and security because they are liable to loss, rust & corruption. Moreover, they yield returns infinitely lower than kingdom investment.
Kingdom investment has unparallel advantages: it is the only way to make perishable goods/money eternal, because it yields steady returns in this life and in the life to come. It cannot experience liquidation or distress because God manages it. It has no iota of uncertainty because you can be dead sure that God cannot play games with you. It is a treasure that brings steady pleasure without any pressure. The good news is that you can participate in kingdom investment wherever you are and at any time you want. Contribute your time, money & life to God’s work. Support the church and missionaries. Give to other believers. Help the poor always. Whenever you receive your pay cheque or pay envelope, before you venture into earthly investments, go for the bigger one —KINGDOM INVESTMENT!
– tope aladenusi