A Worthwhile Investment

Lately I've noticed more and more advertisements encouraging us to invest our money wisely in order to guarantee a secure future. While they are advertising for their companies, in an attempt to drum up more business, the principle they promote is very sound. That principle is that in order to guarantee a return, one must invest. Without investment there is no return.
Being a minister's daughter and now a minister's wife, I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard the excuse, "I don't come to church anymore, I just don't get anything out of it." Comments like those have always irritated me as if "church" is all about "me" and "having my needs met". All rational human beings can refute that statement, or so it seems to me!
However, I began to think about other relationships and life endeavors. I started wondering if that same mindset permeated every part of our life. So I deliberately thought about investments. On a daily basis, I invest emotionally, financially, spiritually, physically and I expect a return on those investments. We all do! But what would happen if we all, in anticipation of a big return, invested more?
For instance, what would happen if I invested more time and energy at work? What if I invested my effort in having a positive attitude, in making my workplace a good place, in being a good employee, almost as if I were working for the Lord? What kind of return would I receive? The answer is obvious isn't it?
So perhaps the way we earn the respect of others is to invest some respect toward them and toward ourselves. We cannot expect those around us to support and encourage us if we are constantly self-demeaning or disrespectful to them. Perhaps the way to teach our children to speak respectfully to us and others is to speak respectfully to them and in front of them. It seems it would be difficult to instill an attitude of respect for authority in young ones who see us yelling at policemen and badmouthing our churchleaders, president, and lawmakers.
And just think about what would happen if we invested an attitude change about worship? What if Sunday mornings weren't a time of yelling at the kids to hurry up and get ready because "we HAVE to go to church" and what if the ride home after services was filled with conversations about God and His blessings rather than the boring sermon, slow songs, and those singing off key behind us? What return could we expect? What attitude would our children learn about worship and being with God's people?
Maybe the way to strong, spiritual marriages to invest our time and energy into making them what God would have them to be. Maybe if I sacrificed my will once in awhile, maybe if I didn't share my opinion every time, maybe if I spoke about and to my spouse like I did when we were dating, then just maybe I would get a return on that investment.
Perhaps the key to good, healthy spiritual friendships is to invest our time in being the kind of friend who promotes spiritual conversation, who encourages self-control and discourages gossip and who examples trust and values the importance of keeping confidence. Perhaps if we we invested in this way, we would find ourselves blessed with an abundance of good relationships.
What do you think would happen if we invested our time and energy in a stronger and deeper and more intimate relationship with God? What if a big part of our day was invested in talking with Him, reading His word, praising Him? What kind of return would we expect? Wouldn't we become stronger? Would we become wiser? Would we feel more confident in our ability to endure and maintain until His return? Would we find our church growing and growing and growing?
Perhaps it is time we examined our investments? Could be that we are not getting the desired return because there is a lack of the required investment! The only free thing is the gift of God's grace--though it cost Him dearly, He was willing to invest the blood of His Son in us. Daily we have opportunities to invest ourselves in pleasing Him! Worthwhile investments are everywhere! What does your investment portfolio look like?

Peace
Neva