Ephesians 1:15-19: I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
One of the blessings of my life is that I am part of the ministry of the United Methodist Foundation of West Virginia, serving as Associate Director. Part of what we do is to serve as the Trustee for endowment funds and custodian for churchs' reserve funds. We often explain to people that we have a conservative investment policy with a goal of achieving a reasonable return while following socially responsible principles.
I was privileged to attend the funeral this week for Gordon Scott, a member of the Ashland Area Emmaus Community. His son said of him, "He was a shrewd investor who invested his life in the things that mattered."
What does it mean to be a shrewd investor in life? As I think about it, perhaps the same three investment goals we have at the Foundation could be applied to this question.
A conservative investment policy for our lives means that we do not lose the gifts we have been given. God calls us to invest our time wisely so that it is not wasted, to use our talents for his glory rather than allowing them to wither away from disuse, and to share our spiritual gifts so that others see God through what we do. We are called to invest what we have been given in the things that matter. What matters in your life? Is that how you invest your gifts?
Do we expect and produce a reasonable return on what we invest? Do we see the fruit of our investments? Gordon was involved in Scouting, in his church, in the Emmaus Community. He had friends and family who gathered to mourn his death. He invested his time and gifts in all of these, and all present could see that his investments were bearing fruit. The lives of youth have been changed. Others have seen God through his efforts. The faith of Christian leaders in the church has been strengthened and developed through the Walk to Emmaus program. And his voice will continue to echo through all of these ministries long after he is gone. As the Ephesians passage says, can others hear of our faith and our love of Christ as it echoes through what we do?
Do we listen for the revelation of God's wisdom? Do we invest our lives following the guidance of God? Do God's principles and priorities guide what we do?
Am I a shrewd investor? Are you? We have a glorious inheritance from our Creator; we have access to immeasurable power and an incredible hope. Do we use what God has given use wisely so that it produces fruit, and do we trust and obey our Lord? Are we shrewd investors in the things that matter?
Kim Matthews
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