We all like a good return on an investment. And learning about investment returns can begin at a young age. If you ever played Monopoly then you’ve probably seen this card! And despite the game’s label, dividends and investment returns do not happen by chance! So, what does this and the previous post have to do with investment returns? The answer is: It’s all connected in a BIG way. And that’s great news for many of you!
Investment Self-Test
Here is a priority test. You probably get emails like the one I got yesterday. It was the quarterly update on our retirement account (I may be working a long time!). That kind of saving is a necessity. But it should not be the focus of our economic lives. Why? Because it is a temporary provision for a temporary world. So here is the test question:
Which picture excites you the most? The lawn that grows money or the river in Belize?
The picture to the left (first of several!) is an update on our Kingdom investments. Those investments are unique in at least two ways. They:
- Have eternal rewards
- Can never be taken away
Just review what Jesus had to say on the subject.
Investment Returns
Church gathering for baptism celebration
And my questions continue! What if your lawn looked like the opening picture? How long would it take you to buy another bag of seed? I am more excited than that about the rest of this post!
A return on an investment is like planting those seeds. It takes time for them to grow. Time allows us to see if our investments were foolish or wise. And that’s the connection to the previous post. That post was shared in the very early stages of our work in Santa Teresa, Belize.
Many people invested in that work. People invested various resources in that work:
- Money – mission projects
- Prayer – for the work and for the teams
- Time – mission volunteers
- Equipping Mission:Hope teams
And time now lets us have a glimpse of the return on the time, talent, and treasures we invested there. As good as today’s news is, remember it’s only a peek. The full return will be revealed…but not here! We have to wait on the full picture. Part of the reason is we can add to our investments! So…
Current Statement of Account
In April we wrapped up our formal work in Belize. The graduation of the pastors was a great time of celebration. And celebrating is what we should do when we see the hand of God at work. Acts 11 shows us that Barnabas celebrated the Lord’s work in the Church in Antioch. It’s a great example of how we should respond to our Father’s work and blessing. I’m sharing so you can be encouraged and celebrate.
During the summer I received word from pastor Juan that new churches had been planted as a result of our work with the pastors. Many of you made that possible! His news was accompanied by a request for prayer & help. I shared that news in this post.
And now pastor Juan has sent pictures of the continuing work in the new church he planted in San Pedro. The church is growing by making disciples. Juan’s pictures show us the same pattern of church planting used by the Apostle Paul. The Gospel is preached. People respond and then there is a new community of believers.
Church celebration
And those believers need to be taught. That’s fairly different than one group of unhappy or disgruntled believers separating themselves from others and forming a new church. (Back to matters at hand…)
Baptisms and celebrations in Belize are great! God’s rewards are attached to those activities. The bad news is: Juan’s personal situation has not changed. His request was to able to have a motorcycle. His weekly back-and-forth for the new church is about 40 miles. He does it on his bicycle. Some have responded to his request for help. And that is why I asked how long it would take the average person to buy a bag of seeds if it grew ‘lawn money.’
Investment: Continuing Opportunity
Imagine this. Your broker calls you. He/she tells you that one of your investments is generating a 65% rate of return. The question for you is whether or not you’d like to assign more resources to that particular stock, bond, or public offering. You’d probably be wise to add a little money to that account.
That opportunity is a reality ed-danmark.com. How? We don’t quite have all the funds to get Juan a motorcycle. We are close – when/if funds that are verbally committed actually arrive. But if they arrive today we are still short. In Kingdom terms, I think investing in pastors like Juan is an even greater opportunity than the call from my imaginary broker. Why?
What Jesus had to say about our earthly labors are set in terms of foolish versus wise. It’s foolish to build (or save) on sandy, unstable ground. That’s a picture of the passing nature of this earth. If we gain the whole world in physical, financial terms what have we really gained? It will all pass away. Only what we invest in Jesus’ Kingdom will last forever and have an eternal reward. That’s why building/investing in His Kingdom is deemed wise.
I’d really like to change this picture. It’s something we can easily do – together. It just takes a few helping hands to donate. I am sure we have a worthwhile opportunity. And we have great authority about the lasting value of investing in the Kingdom. Rather send a check?
- Make it payable to Mission: Hope
- Send it to: Keith Burnett Ministries, PO 803, Scottsboro, AL – 35768
Rest assured we will post a picture of Juan’s new ride as soon as it is available!
Soli Deo Gloria!
0 Comments