GOD’S INVESTMENT STRATEGY
READ: ROMANS 5: 6-11
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (v. 8)
Graduating from college and accepting my first teaching position left me little time to think about an investment strategy. I was pre-occupied with making my small monthly income stretch to cover the needs of my growing family. After years of diligent work, by both my wife and me, there came a point when we developed a joint financial strategy to grow our God given resources to meet our anticipated/unanticipated funding needs. Eventually with help, we came up with a plan that provides us with a sense of financial security as we enter the winter season of life.
God began his human investment strategy the minute he gave breath to Adam and Eve. This strategy was based upon the principle of divine, everlasting, unselfish and underserved love. He was not worried about diversifying his funds. He made his direct all in investment in the stock that trades under the symbol—FTLOM (“For the love of man”)! He knew from the outset this constituted a risky investment because his creations were prone to falling to the power of sin devaluation. But God endured the ups and downs of the Old Testament Market coming to understand he needed to stabilize his investment before it fully imploded. So, at just the right time in human history, he sent Jesus to make the extreme sacrifice that would demonstrate his full love, grace and mercy for his earthly creations by reconciling them directly to himself.
Ponder the amazing words of today’s verse, “While we were still sinners.” Even though we are totally unworthy, God extends the fullness of his love through the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The true magnitude of this love investment is captured by the direct words of Jesus found in John 15: 9– “I have loved you as the Father has loved me.” This investment strategy defies human comprehension. Not a single one of us would spend any time or money considering an investment with the background history of the human race. But God, who’s ways are higher than ours on every plane of existence, made the investment. Now he is counting on us, the stock of his investment, to multiply his love to everyone we meet to the ends of the earth, bringing him the dividends of glory he is entitled to receive.
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Where would we be without the direct grace filled investment of love made by our Father God?
Dear God, for your glory let us be instruments of your love every hour of the day (Look up and pray the prayer of St. Francis).
You’re Brother in Christ,
Fred Ailes