The Real Estate market had hit rock bottom, or so it seemed, and the stock market had fallen off, and I was searching for an investment that would pay back dividends. I was meeting with two GA lawyers who both were savvy in the stock market and real estate. One of them moaned about the market and the fear of investment and the other groaned concerning property losses. Finally, one of them told me, "Preacher, today you might be better off taking your money, putting it in a coffee can and burying it in the back yard." Though he was certainly being sarcastic (I think), the fear of loss does cause us at times to rethink our investing strategies doesn't it?
Matthew 25:14-30 records Jesus teaching on the Kingdom of God. His Parable of the Talents illustrates the fear that some have of investing. The story goes a little something like this:
The boss man went on a journey and left three employees entrusted with caring for his money; each according to his own ability. One was entrusted with 5 talents (rough estimates show modern value at between $500,000 and $600,000 per talent), another received 2 talents and finally a third was in care of 1 talent. The first one went out and invested the 5 and gained 5 more. In the same way, the one with the 2 talents gained 2 more, but the one with only 1, went away and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time, the boss man returned to settle accounts and found the investment of first two was productive, but the fear of the one was paralyzing. Two the first two he declared, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into my joy." BUT to the one who had hid the money and gained nothing, the boss man stated, "You wicked, lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I do not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore, take away the talent from him and give it to the one with the 10 talents and have security escort this man to the door after he has cleaned out his office cubical."
In the Kingdom of God, GRACE, like a commodity is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market. Jesus is priceless (His life is the greatest investment ever) and His sacrificial gift for our sin cost us nothing, yet cost him everything! Once we have received His precious grace, we are to invest it with wisdom. We are supposed to take his grace and reproduce. We can't allow ourselves to be paralyzed by potential loss or fear failure. Our work is to invest the commodity and reproduce the grace.
If our Lord Jesus (the boss man) were to return today, would He find you investing or hiding grace? Would Jesus find you productive in service or paralyzed in fear? Would you hear Jesus say, "Well done my good and faithful servant, now enter into my joy." or "You wicked and lazy servant! You should have invested and produced something with what I gave you."
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