One of the by-products of copious interstate driving is an ample opportunity to critique of billboards.   Billboards are a powerful way to make a statement.  They are unquestionably effective at catching your eye.  And they are larger than life, which means they will immortalize both the praiseworthy and the cringeworthy message.    I recently saw a local bank billboard which boldly proclaimed – “We want all your money!”   To paraphrase Inigo Montoya, “They keep using that phrase — I don’t think that phrase means what they think it means.”

Trusting others with our money is no small matter.   It is hard to come by, but easy to lose a grip on.   We grow suspicious when someone asks for it.   And we don’t want to invest our money with just anyone.  We need to be assured that it will be invested safely and soundly and will increase in value over the long haul.  We want a personal relationship with our financial adviser.  Horror stories abound and success stories are rare.  When someone gives us an investing tip, we often receive it with polite suspicion.  There is no sure thing – no guarantee.  Or is there?

The Bible has a lot to say about money.   Jesus’ teaching on money was more prolific than his teaching about heaven.  Much of what he had to say was shocking and unexpected.  And in Paul’s letters to Timothy, we also find warning after warning about how church leaders and its members should regard and use their money.   Included in this teaching, in a postscript to his first letter, is one of the best investment strategies a Christian can employ.

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

Far from advocating government-sponsored, or even church-sponsored, wealth redistribution, Paul gives those with worldly means – and those without — clear and succinct instruction how to be rich in a way that lasts beyond life in this world.   A good financial adviser should counsel regarding the relationship between risk and return. This is investing 101.  High return requires high risk.  But the Bible points to an investment strategy with a guaranteed high rate of return that continues undiminished forever with no market corrections or downturns.

Join us this Lord’s Day, February 10, as we finish our study of 1 Timothy and consider an investment strategy that produces real riches.  We meet from 5:00 – 6:30 pm in The Commons at St. Andrews Anglican Church at 8300 Kanis Rd in Little Rock.  Click here for directions. Come with a friend and join us for fellowship and worship. We look forward to seeing you there.