Suppose someone you respected and trusted in the financial world, someone with impeccable credentials, came to you and said that they had information that the world economy would soon collapse but if you invested in X, you would not only be protected, you would be financially secure for the rest of your life. Would you be angry that this person specified where you had to invest to secure your financial future?  Would you accuse them of being narrow minded and demand that they use their influence to make your present investments succeed? Or would you be grateful for the tip? Wouldn’t you at least check it out?

Jesus has given us such a tip to secure our eternal well being. “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

Some see this as being incredibly narrow. Is this an unreasonable restrictive limit or is God giving us inside knowledge that can save us from ultimate loss of the worse kind? I believe the latter. Let me briefly show you why.

Unlike any financial broker, Jesus used His own funds, His blood, to secure our eternal retirement package. He has no ulterior motive. Our part is to receive His gift by faith.

Can we trust such a lavish offer? No one can come close to Jesus’ resumé. When He called God His Father, the Jews wanted to stone Him because they got the message: He was making Himself equal with God (Jn. 5:18)! Jesus performed many miracles. John wrote, “If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). He predicted His own death and resurrection. While His enemies were saying they would wait until after the Passover to arrest Him, Jesus was saying it would happen during the Passover. He had the inside scoop. He was crucified during the Passover. In predicting the future, He has a perfect record!

Instead of viewing His words as restrictive, wouldn’t it be wiser to change our investment portfolio? No matter how long or how much one has invested in the wrong stocks, a wise person, when better informed, will transfer their investment to the better option.

What some call restrictive, I find reassuring. Unlike investing in the stock market, I can know I have picked the best option with a guaranteed return beyond imagination. All who’ve trusted in Jesus are promised, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Corinthians 2:9).

Perhaps it’s time to review your portfolio. Have you investigated the claims of Jesus? He is not trying to limit your options to rob you, but to protect you from bogus stocks. Investing in Jesus brings immediate and eternal returns. As Zig Ziglar puts it, “We’ll be dead a lot longer than we’ll be alive.” Doesn’t it make sense to get this investment right?

Blessings,

.

.
Deborah W. Wilson

If you would like to receive these weekly blogs by email, simply email us.