How diversified is your investment portfolio?
Disclaimer: No financial advice is intended in the writing of this article. I am not a financial advisor.
When seeking financial advice we typically seek out those with a proven track record. Not often do you seek out the novice in investments and money management. On the contrary, we look for a person who we trust due to their longevity in the field, their list of clientele, and in conjunction with a past precedent of successful investments. Most of us have a basic high school level economics class. This gives us a cursory knowledge of an appropriate way to spend our money with the highest potential for return on investment.
For example, if we brought our hard earned money to an investor and they encouraged us to put the lump sum into one area, i.e. the stock market, we would approach their advice with a bit of fear and skepticism. That’s a risky investment. Putting all we have into one high risk investment, that may or may not yield results, is quite a dicey endeavor. Rather, the advice we anticipate is a diversified investment strategy, one where they would take our investment and spread it out amongst many areas, i.e. real estate, IRA’s, bonds, stocks, etc. This maximizes our return potential. Our goal is for our little amount of money to grow.
This seems to be common sense in our world today and yet we fail to translate this principle to other areas of our life, namely our spiritual life. This principle has a biblical basis. If our only investment into our spiritual portfolio comes on Sunday mornings, our portfolio is rather weak, with little to no chance for growth. Rather, we are to be spreading out the investment of God’s word in several areas of our life, so that we can maximize the potential investment of God’s word in our lives. I am not saying that means that our spiritual investment is gauged on our Sunday night and Wednesday night attendance. Rather, what I am saying is that everyday you should be making a investment in your spiritual portfolio. Here is the kicker, though. The purpose of growing spiritually is not just to be more spiritual but to have a depth of spiritual knowledge so that you can invest in others close to you. Let me show you from God’s word what I mean.
You are not to continually invest in yourself only but to grow in the grace and knowledge of the word of God. For example, Hebrews 5:12-6:1 says, “Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. Therefore, leaving the elementary message about the Messiah, let us go on to maturity…” God’s desire for spiritual growth of the believer is echoed throughout the Word of God, not just in Hebrews. The type of spiritual growth seen throughout the the scriptures is not attainable from a Sunday morning church service. It’s only from a continual steady investment in the riches of God’s Word. The apostles and the early church in Acts were even accused of breaking bread and breaking open the word daily. God desires you to invest in others also.
As husbands you are to invest in your spouse also. Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus had this to say about the matter. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:25-26). The last part of that statement is crucial in the health and longevity of a marriage let alone in the spiritual life of a believer. The investment you make in your spouse has far more value than just within him/her. By investing in your spouse spiritually you prove your belief in the scriptures. You also show your children the value of God’s Holy Word in your daily relationship with your spouse, their parent. In addition to our spouse God’s plan includes investing in our family.
As a father you are to invest in your children. Deut. chapter 6 shares with us the grand design of a creator God, in particular how God plans to propagate faith in Him to a future generation. “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them be a symbol on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (vv.4-9 HCSB). Take note of the audience, your children. God desires that you and your children could share a common faith. Then He goes on to share His plan on how to make that happen. How can you share your faith with your children in a Sunday morning only scenario? The short answer is you can’t and nor is that the desire of God. You must be receiving deposits in your account on a regular basis and in turn using the day to day moments of life to transfer that faith to your children or even grandchildren.
This is the heart and desire of God, the ultimate advisor in all things spiritual. He has given you an investment guide on where to receive instructions. He desires that you use every opportunity to delight in His word (Psalm 1:1-3), then make an investment in those closest to you. Of course none of this is possible without the application of our scripture from Sunday morning 2 Tim. 3:14-17. If you don’t know or realize that God’s breathed word is crucial for daily living that is where you must begin your investment strategy. Daily doses will prove to be the best investment you ever make.
