What is investing? Investing is the process of buying assets that should increase in value over time and should provide returns in the form of income. In the world of finance, investing is the purchase of securities, real estate, and other items of value in the pursuit of capital gains or income.
So how does investing work? Investors aim to generate a return on their investments, most commonly through appreciation and income. Appreciation is when something grows in value. Think about it, you want to buy low and sell high. Income is when an investment puts money in your pocket without you having to sell it. This could be through a dividend, an interest payment, or even profits from real estate.
Investing can also be about spending time or money to improve yourself or the lives of others. Investing in yourself means you are putting in the time, money, and energy into making your current and future life better. Like a wise investor that diversifies their income, you should acquire new skills to occupy your mind, boost your confidence, develop creative thinking, broadens your perspective, or making sure you are mentally and physically healthy. It's about setting goals that matters to you and having a commitment to becoming the best version of yourself. So what is so great about this? When you invest in yourself, you are improving your life.
The most important investment that you can ever make, is an investment with Jesus. The Bible tells us, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).
What Jesus is telling us is that you can do one of two things with your life. You can waste it or you can invest in it. You can waste it on living for the now and in the moment. You can waste it by being on drugs and alcohol. You can waste it by being lazy and not taking care of yourself. You can waste it by neglecting your personal and financial responsibilities. You can waste it through missed opportunities and throwing away the possibility of opportunities down the drain.
Or you can invest in your life. How? You can invest in other people. You can be that someone that someone can always count on. You can use your time, talents, and the tenth to make a little of bit difference in others' life. Eleanor Roosevelt said, "For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others." Just as you invest in a garden, whether for its beauty or for consumption, or real estate for income, when you invest in people you gain something. What is that? That something is to make them a better person. You are making a difference in other people's lives.
Apostle Paul words it so eloquently, "You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love" (Galatians 5:13). When God blesses us, it is not for our own indulgence, but it is for the chance to make an investment in the life of someone else. I know that this is not a popular idea, but we are supposed to live a life seeking how can we serve other people and most importantly, we are not to get upset when other people don't serve us.
Do you know what the most important investment there is? Investing in Jesus. I did a goggle search on how to invest in Jesus and do you know what popped-up? How to buy Jesus Coin. WHAT YOU SAY! According to CoinStats, "Jesus Coin (JC) is a cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum blockchain. It was created to bring the world closer to Jesus Christ by providing an easy way for people to donate and support Christian causes. The coin has been designed with a focus on charity, allowing users to make donations directly from their wallets and received rewards in return. JC also provides a platform for churches, ministries, and other organizations to accept donations in JC tokens."
Jesus should be the central part of your life. Or is He the periphery part of your life? Do you know who Jesus is? Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (Matthew 16:14). Jesus then asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Blessed are you, Simon Car-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'" (Matthew 16:16-17).
The Bible gives us an amazing truth about Jesus, not only are we to know about Him, but we can also know Him personally, by having a personal relationship with Him. A lot of people know about Him, but only a small amount of people really want a personal relationship with Him. Jesus is a worldwide, well known person. He is not just an amazing person, but He is the Son of God and He is God's free gift to us. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus is the Word made flesh, the perfect fulfillment of Scripture: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Without knowing the Word, we can not know Jesus.
Jesus is God. The Bible tells us, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (John 1:1-5). Jesus is God, Light of Lights, True God of True God. He is the second person of the triune God. The divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one. It is through Jesus, the Son that all things were made by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is one of three persons that makes up the Godhead. This concept is called the "TRINITY."
The Bible tells us that Jesus doesn't desire for no one to perish: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). If you have not accepted Jesus as your personal Savior it is not too late. The only way to be saved is to personally accept Jesus as your Savior, trusting in His death as the payment for your sins and believe in His resurrection, that He rose from the grave, and is currently sitting on the right side of God the Father's throne. To accept Jesus as your Savor you must acknowledge who He is and you must believe in Him. John 1:12 says, "But to all who did received him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Then John 3:16 adds, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." To accept Jesus you must, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Jesus came to seek and save the lost. It does not matter what you have done, Jesus still wants you to come to Him. Jesus reminds us, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Luke 5:31-32)
Scripture clearly tells us, "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:29-33).
Jesus has made a huge investment in us. How? When He died on the cross for the redemption of our sins. Scripture reminds us, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit" (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus is the "righteous" One and that makes us the "unrighteous." The One who knew no sin, became sin so that we might received mercy. What an investment! Are you willing to invest in Jesus?