[Scripture: Luke 12:16-21]
Today I want to talk about your investment plan for a better future. Investing is an effective process that improves your life by increasing the value of your assets. It promises that you’ll lead a successful life after retirement. However, investment experts say there is one main reason why people don’t invest their money successfully. The answer is a lack of knowledge of successful investment strategies.
The Wall Street Journal reported that an anonymous fan paid $4.5 million in a charity auction in June 2019 to have lunch with Warren Buffett in order to gain wisdom from him about being a successful investor. Do you know what Buffett’s investment rule number 1 was? He said it was to “never lose money.” And rule number two was to “never forget rule number one.”
Someone paid around $4.5 million to hear this simple investment wisdom.
The Rich Man in Luke 12:16-21
Today’s Bible verses are Luke 12:16-21. In this parable, Jesus spoke of a successful farmer who became rich because his land produced more than expected. Working hard in his own field was the most innocent and proper way for him to increase his own wealth.
In verse 17, the farmer said to himself, “What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.” Then he said, “I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my grain and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘I have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be happy!’” He believed that he had a perfect retirement plan, but God said to him, “You are a fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?”
It is ironic. Why did God call the rich man a “fool”? It seemed like he was a successful agricultural entrepreneur and was smart enough to amass all his wealth, but God said to him, “You are a fool.”
That means he really must have been a fool. If I tell you that you are a fool, you can say back to me, “I’m not, but you are.” But if God says that you are a fool, you really are a fool because you cannot say to God, “You are a fool.”
What does He mean by “fool” in this context? God was not talking about the farmer’s intellectual abilities but rather about how he wrongly invested his time, energy, and wealth. This verse makes it clear that wrong investments have made diligent and successful people foolish in the sight of God.
Story of a Farmer
When I was around 18, I worked as a mechanic for a transportation company. The city I worked in was similar to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our garage was located on the outskirts of a town with lots of farmland. There was a man there who was called a “fool” by his friends and neighbors.
He came to our garage a lot to have coffee with us. He inherited so many acres of farmland from his father. When the city was developing rapidly around his farmland, his friends and neighbors sold their farmland to the developer, and they invested their money in business and the stock market. However, he kept his farmland and continued farming.
While he drove his old tractor to the farmland, his friends drove Mercedes and BMWs. As they passed his tractor, they said to him, “You’re an idiot. Look at me! Enjoy your life.”
Do you know what happened to them years later? Land prices rose to the ceiling while the stock market plummeted. After that happened, people called him a wise man and called his friends fools. Currently, the price of land in that city is around 500 dollars per square foot.
Spiritual Lesson
In verse 21, Jesus told us, “Whoever stores up things for himself is not rich toward God but is called a fool.” The meaning of this passage is that Christians need God’s wisdom about where and how to invest our time, energy, and wealth.
Today, I’ll give you a two-point scriptural lesson. The first is about the meaning of the wisdom of God, and the other is about knowing the biblical view about where to invest your time, energy, and money.
“Wisdom” in Hebrew means the ability to use knowledge and skill to make the right choices at the opportune time.
I have a scriptural example of how the wisdom of God was working in daily life. In Acts 27:22 and 30, when Apostle Paul was chained and taken to Rome, Paul warned the centurion, “our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo and to our lives also,” but the centurion took the advice of the captain and the sailors.
The ship was caught in a storm on its way to Rome. When the captain and the crew of the ship were afraid of the storm and did not know what to do, Paul said, “Do not be afraid; listen to me, and not one of you will die.” After that, the centurion, soldiers, and sailors followed his orders. Paul’s wisdom saved 276 people’s lives. Knowledge and skills bring convenience to people, but wisdom saves people from the dangers of life.
The captain and sailors had skill and knowledge, and the centurion and soldiers had power, but Paul had the wisdom of God. Charles Spurgeon said, “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge and power.”
James 1:5 tells us how to obtain the wisdom of God. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” If you lack knowledge, go to school or Google it. They provide accurate information. If you are without wisdom, get down on your knees because wisdom comes from above.
God’s wisdom is not intellectual knowledge nor the power of the mind but rather the ability to use knowledge and power at the right time. In other words, “Wisdom is the ability to live our lives from God’s perspective.”
God’s wisdom also gives you and me the knowledge and passion for investing our values in the right place.
Matthew 6:20 says, “store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” and 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Biblical guidance is clear about where to invest a Christian’s time, energy, and wealth. As Christians, we believe that we are stewards of God’s resources. It includes not only your money but also your purpose in life.
Statistics for Christian Education
Today I will propose a specific application for how to invest values in daily life. Invest time, energy, and money into raising your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to love and serve God and the people in the Church. This is a wise investment that puts our values in the right place.
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Let them come to Jesus.
Statistic says 75% of kids left the Church from 18 to 29, but the 25% that stayed connected with Christ from 18-29
- Ate dinner 5 of 7 nights a week as a family
- Served with their families in a ministry
- Had one spiritual experience in the home during the week
- Had at least one faith-focused adult in their lives other than their parents
- Entrusted with responsibility in ministry at an early age
To teach your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren how to receive the wisdom of God. It is a wiser investment than teaching them how to throw and catch a ball.
It is Christian wisdom to focus on where and how to invest our time, energy, and wealth for the Kingdom of God.
Scriptural wisdom in this parable makes it clear that Christians can enjoy what we earn in our earthly life, but we must not forget our investment plan for when we retire from our earthly life to get into eternal life. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
Think about life in the Garden. God’s request was simple. You can enjoy thousands of fruits from trees in the Garden, but you shouldn’t eat just one. You can enjoy 6 days a week but remember 7th day. It is the Day of the Lord.
2022.05.15. Pastor Cloud Poy
@ Photo on Unsplash
