The topic of investing is one that pervades many conversations. You may recall conversing with others about how to invest your finances. Or, you may have recently taught your church on the importance of investing into the lives of children. All of us invest ourselves into one thing or another. In the next few moments, I want you to carefully consider the primary goal for every investment you make.

As the Apostle Paul opens his second letter to the believers in Thessalonica, he pens a prayer for them. “We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.” In this prayer, we discover that Paul’s desire for the Thessalonians was for God to bring a good return on the investment they were making through their faith-driven deeds. In the immediately following line, Paul gives the reason why they should desire to receive a good return on what they invested. He writes, “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you.” The Holy Spirit prompted Paul to show us that every investment we make has a singular goal, which is to glorify God.

You can invest into your life and ministry three ways: through your time, energy, and resources. How you invest your time, energy, and resources will determine what sort of return you receive on your investment. The return you receive will either glorify or dishonor God. The prayer in scripture is for your deeds to be prompted by faith and glorify the name of our Lord Jesus. Therefore, carefully consider how you invest your time, energy, and resources.

Gary R. Linn