Who made an eternal investment in you?
Chances are, we could all name those people who invested in us & left an indelible mark because of the investment they made in our lives.
Maybe for you it was a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a coach, a youth minister, or a spiritual leader at your church.
Many of us could probably share stories of the person or the people who made an eternal investment in us, an investment that changed the trajectory of our lives & made a lasting impact on us.
Can you imagine what your life would be like if that person hadn’t taken the time to help you? If no one had ever made an investment in you?
To a large degree, we are who we are because of those people who chose, for whatever reason, to make an eternal investment in us.
And here’s the thing… You have the power to change someone’s life when you make a decision to invest your life in their life & make a difference for their good & God’s glory.
[Tweet “You have the power to change someone’s life when you invest your life in their life.”]This is what discipleship is all about. Its you, it’s me, taking time to invest our life into the life of someone else.
And we have an extraordinary opportunity to make an eternal investment.
The Single Greatest Obstacle
Do you know what the single greatest obstacle is to your ability to invest in someone else?
I believe it’s the way you talk about them. It’s gossip.
I love what Scott Sauls says… “Gossip is a way to exploit someone else’s weakness without making a commitment to them. We gossip for cheap thrills and to feel better about ourselves entirely at someone else’s expense. We objectify others with gossip.” (from an interview with Carey Nieuwhof)
[Tweet “”Gossip: to exploit someone else’s weakness without making a commitment to them.” @ScottSauls”]I’ve been convicted that if we really want to invest in each other then we need to watch the way we talk. The way we talk about people in our community matters. The way we talk about each other matters. And the way we talk about the church matters. If we consistently speak unkindly of others with others, we destroy any opportunity to speak a word for Christ & truly invest in the life of another.
A Different Kind of Investment
We’re called to Live Differently. How we treat each other is significant. Our behavior towards each other matters. The way we talk to each other & about each other matters.
Paul once wrote these words to the church in a town called Colossae…
Listen to what Paul said to this church…
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Think about this for a moment… Why is it that so often we forget or make light of our own mistakes & faults, but then we maximize the mistakes & faults of others. Or the things about them we don’t like. Or the decisions they’ve made that we don’t agree with.
Why do we have such high expectations of others & so low expectations of ourselves?
[Tweet “Why do we have such high expectations of others & so low expectations of ourselves? “]What if we were as good at forgiving each other as Christ is at forgiving us?
Paul seems to say that if there is disharmony among us, dissonance for any reason, its a symptom of a lack of love among us. It points to, it reveals that we need to elevate the love of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ & the unity of the church above any disagreement between us.
Above ALL – clothe yourselves in LOVE.
[Tweet “Above ALL – clothe yourselves in LOVE. Colossians 3.14”]But Paul doesn’t stop there… next he says this…
15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
What you say or do in this community reflects directly upon Jesus & his church. Don’t ever underestimate your actions or your words & the power of your influence. Again, you never know what hangs in the balance for someone because they are watching you & what they know of church & what they believe about Jesus depends on your words & your behavior!
[Tweet “Don’t ever underestimate your actions or your words & the power of your influence.”]If you are going to have the opportunity to invest in someone’s life, it will be because you have through your words & actions demonstrated that you are a person of character, a person of integrity, someone whose life was changed because of Jesus & someone who has something to offer to another.
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
When I was 5 or 6 years old, there was a man by the name of Dr. West who invested in me. He told me I was his ice cream buddy. And he & I would either go get ice cream or eat ice cream at his house every chance we got.
I had no idea who Dr. West was at the time. Truthfully, he was an incredibly important man. I don’t know how he had time for me. He was a Bible scholar, a college professor, a preacher & an author. I couldn’t begin to list all of his accomplishments.
After retiring from Harding Graduate School of Religion in Memphis, TN he moved to Montgomery, AL in 1978 to become the administrator and professor of Bible at both Alabama Christian College (Faulkner University) and Alabama Christian School of Religion (Southern Christian University). That’s where I met Dr. West.
He had over 25,000 books. In fact, that’s how we got to know each other. He needed help moving his books & me & my dad helped him. At a very young age, this incredible man of God made an eternal investment in me & left an indelible impression on me. He didn’t have to. He didn’t have time to. But he made an investment in me.
He was known for making investments in young preachers. Looking back, I wonder if he knew then that one day I would preach. If he did, he knew something about me that I wouldn’t know for a long time. Either way, I’ll never forget his investment in me.
Who are you investing in?
Who? Who do you need to take to get ice cream?
Because as a follower of Jesus this is what we’re called to do… to make a lasting impact, an eternal investment in the life of another.
In a world that literally celebrates division, in a time where people have never been more divided, when churches have never been more divided, when people put their opinions above their love for others & are willing to sacrifice unity & relationships when they don’t get their way… this is what is different about the church of Jesus Christ!
We love each other the way Christ loves us. Above all else, we clothe ourselves in love. Unity in the Spirit of Christ is our greatest value. And we can disagree about something & still worship together because there is something greater, someONE greater who brings us together & calls us deeper… THIS is the CHURCH. This is what it means to belong to Christ!
So the real question I have to ask every day is simply this: How can I love you the way Christ loves you today?
[Tweet “How can I love you the way Christ loves you today?”]Maybe today you can find someone to invest in. Don’t wait for them to ask you. Ask them. Ask them to have coffee with you. Or maybe ice cream!
In a world that has never been more connected but where people have never felt more alone, this is HOW we are different. We take time to make an eternal investment in each other. WHY? Because Jesus has made an eternal investment in us.
[Tweet “For us to invest in each other, we have to set aside our differences, & that’s different.”]For us to really invest in each other, we have to set aside our differences, & that’s different. Its common to divide over what we disagree on. But the beauty of the body of Christ, the church, is that there is something greater that brings us together & calls us deeper!
