Thought for Today:
Numbers 27:20 You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey. (RSV)
1 Kings 8:61 Therefore devote yourselves completely to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day." (NRS)
1 Corinthians 12:23 . . . those parts of the body which we think less honorable we invest with the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater
modesty, (RSV)
Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. (NRS)
“God, you have invested so much of yourself in me. Help me invest in others, and help them (and me) grow in unexpected ways. Amen.” (These Days, July 30, 2025)
I was intrigued when I read that prayer in today’s devotional. Invest is not a word I commonly use when I think, speak or write about faith and belief. I usually think of investing in terms of finance and commerce. As I meditated this morning on that devotional, I realized that I have invested large resources of time and money in school, seminary and in life. I have invested large resources of time and money in my family and in my future. Now, as Greta and I enjoy what has been described as ‘the third third of life,’ those investments are generating returns.
In graduate school, I took courses in finance, accounting and economics. I learned to think in terms of investments, rates of return, risk versus reward and other pecuniary terms. In seminary, I took other courses, none of which dealt with monetary concerns. In serving churches, I have come to the conclusion that seminaries should better prepare their students to consider the economics of worship. There should at least be some training in how to raise money and how to budget expenditures. Churches are rarely the best stewards of time or money.
But, that devotional this morning was not about the finances of life. Neither are the main concerns of church or denomination the finances of faith. Believers, churches and denominations all exist and operate within the confines of the various economies and governments within the areas they inhabit. Believers, churches and denominations are constrained by the systems of those economies and governments. But, believers, churches and denominations do not exist to serve those economies or those governments. Believers, churches and denominations exist to serve and worship our Creator God and all of our Creator God’s creation.
Jesus warned us, “Luke 16:13 No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." The Greek word translated as wealth is μαμωνᾷς (mamon). It’s a “transliteration from the Aramaic; usually in a derogatory sense property, wealth, earthly goods; personification Mammon, the Syrian god of riches, money.” (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon)
How does the idea of investing pertain to our faith? That is the topic of that devotional I read today. God has invested in Creation itself. Read Genesis paying special attention to the first 3 chapters. God created Creation out of nothing other than God’s own will. God said, “Let there be . . .” and there was . . . The very essence of all Creation is the will of God.
As part of that, “Genesis 1:27 . . . God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” That is a large investment! God has invested a lot in all of us, all of our ancestors and all of our descendants. In turn, we invest a lot in those around us. Investments in time, investments in money, investments of who and what we ourselves are.
The author of that devotional wrote of teaching his child how to blow her nose. Every parent can relate. Parents teach our children. Parents learned from our own parents, who learned from their parents. Our children will (hopefully) teach our grandchildren.
We all invest a portion of who and what we are in everyone with whom we associate. What would this world be like were we all to be more careful in our investments? Maybe we should try to find out. Maybe that is how we bring about God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.
Stay safe, invest wisely, trust God,
Pastor Ray