Stocks: Checking Your Investment Portfolio

Where are you invested?  No, not in the stock market.  That’s not a conversation I can venture into.  My portfolio would be made up of pizza chains and apple products.  Don’t think that would work out too well for me, but it’s life in student ministry!  But really, where are you invested in this life?  Furthermore, why have you chosen to invest?  When you think about the stock market it’s all about strategic investing for the sake of gaining return.  

After confronting the hesitation that we often deal with when Christ calls, this past Sunday night we took the conversation a step deeper.  I think our hesitation is really a result of where we are invested.  I mean, if we take an honest look at our investment portfolio it might say very little about the Kingdom.  I think this is the case for a lot of teens.  This was the case with the Rich Young Ruler.  His hesitation, his turning away from God was a result of bad investments.  (Read Luke 18:18-30 and Matthew 6:19-24)

The thing that stands out to me the most in these passages is what comes after them in the next verses and chapters.  The Rich Young Ruler stands in contrast to the disciples’ decision to follow and the blind man who seeks healing.  His question shows he is more concerned with where he stands, not in knowing grace.  He has invested so much in earthly treasures that he can’t get out.  He is going to hold out hoping that his investment pans out in some miracle.  Seems that teens are often like this guy holding onto relationships they know they need to let go off, placing their self-worth in the athletic or academic endeavors, and when challenged by the gospel, they would rather turn away.  The problem for these teenagers is that this is often the message they learn from us adults.  Our investment portfolio isn’t looking so great either.

The passage is not simply about wealth.  It’s about the state of the heart.  And Jesus makes it clear…God should be the treasure of your heart.  Treasure is about what you value.  Unfortunately, as Matthew shows us, we often invest in things that are easily destroyed.  Reading this passage reminds me of the smell of mothballs in my grandma’s house!

Secondly, Satan will use treasures of this world to steal your heart from God.  He’s got this down in the lives of our teens.  I think this is in part why so many leave the church after they graduate from high school.  The Rich Young Ruler hadn’t fully given his heart to God.  What Jesus called him to give up struck a nerve in him.  It’s the same nerve Jesus hit with the Pharisees.  “No wonder those with vested interests hated Jesus: So insidious was his attack upon earthly treasures that he became a `far more terrible robber' than those who assault travelers along a highway. Jesus assaulted the whole human race at the point where that race is most sensitive: its desire for security and superiority" (Kierkegaard).  Do our investments in this life really make Jesus look like a robber?  Ouch!

This passage ultimately comes down to an issue of allegiance.  Loyalty is at stake, not wealth.  You must choose between competing treasures in order to follow Jesus.  The disciples left everything.  The blind man risks everything.  Jesus gives everything.  So why is the choice so difficult for us?

We’ve allowed Satan to be the thief of our hearts.  He has stolen our affection.  He’s done a good job too.  So much so that when Christ calls, we hesitate and even fail to follow.  Talk about bad investing.  We know the return, but we do it anyway because our hearts have been compromised.  The Rich Young Ruler is so bound up in the things of earth that it is all but impossible for him to follow.  Though he has everything in life and has probably seen everything in life, he is blind to the truth of Christ.  Contrast that with the blind man who finds his sight by pursuing Christ, and this story becomes a little more uncomfortable. 

The single eye Jesus is talking about in this passage in Matthew is so devoted it doesn’t even see what is on the periphery.  When it comes to our investments, God requires us to surrender to him the ownership of everything, so that we never again consider it as our own; we must do with it only what he would do.  Is your security in Christ, or in earthly investments?

Ultimately, this is a story of all of us, rich or poor.  Salvation doesn’t come through an empty bank account.  It’s more about where your trust resides.  We all have something causing hesitation in us.  We all have some kind of misplaced investment.  What would Jesus call you to leave behind that would touch a nerve in you?  What is it that keeps you walking away from what God has for you?  And the toughest question for me in all of this…

Why is it so easy for us to choose earth over heaven?

Twitter: Follow ME.

Let’s be honest here…we’re all followers.  We have TV shows we protect, blogs we read, directions we follow, and instructions we follow (unless you’re a man and the last two are optional).  I think we were made to be followers.  The easiest place to see this instinctive human value for me lies within the teenage sphere of life.  Just watch and see.  Teenagers are often like ants.  They follow because they want in.  However, many times they follow mindlessly or because it’s what others are doing.  Savvy marketers have caught on to this idea as well.  Look at the teenage culture surrounding MTV.

Following requires close proximity…except on Twitter.  Twitter has changed the game when it comes to following.  You just simply need to follow someone on Twitter, and then you can get updates about their food choices and their political opinions.  You can open the App every couple of days and get a glimpse into their lives.  But hey, you’re following. 

Somewhere along the way, we started believing this is the way we could follow Jesus.  We think we can get a glimpse into who he is every so often and that will make us a Christian, or a Christ-follower.  Our teenagers have watched us live in this reality, and so they are trying it out for themselves.  The problem…we’re giving more attention to following things other than Christ.  Sounds kind of like idolatry.  The disciples followed Jesus quite a bit differently than we do.  Look at Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Mark 2:13-14, Luke 5:1-11 and Luke 5:27-32. 

Notice anything here?  How about the response of the disciples?  There’s no hesitation.  We hesitate when Jesus calls.  We ignore the Holy Spirit and call that “gut feeling” the result of forgetting to eat breakfast.  What are missing when we hesitate to follow?  Look at the disciples.  They are blessed in obedience.  It’s either obedience or disobedience.  There’s no ish or middle ground.  Oh, but you better believe teens are trying the ish.  My room is clean-ish.  Curfew is 12:00…I’ll be home at 12-ish.  It’s all or nothing when we’re following Christ.  Aaaand, it demands an immediate response.  If you hesitate, the train leaves the station.  Hesitation in our walk with Christ may mean we miss the blessings produced by obedience. 

The other big thing here…Jesus didn’t allow his disciples to follow from a distance.  He demanded they follow right behind him.  He wanted them with him along the way.  They had to stay close in order to know how to follow.  Though you can follow Jesus on Twitter (no, really), you can’t really follow the Son of God without staying close to him.  When we try to survive in the “ish,” we just create a civil war of the soul.  When we do that, we are putting ourselves on the rack…you know, the old stretching torture method.  Relationship with Jesus doesn’t happen every few days by sort of checking in…but that’s how most teens are trying to work it.  You can’t imitate Christ if you’re not close enough to see him.

What’s great about this whole following thing is Jesus makes it pretty clear what’s required and what’s involved.  People who get it and who follow closely want to bring others along for the journey.  Look at John 1:35-51.  First, “Follow me.”  Now, “Come and you will see.”  They’ve followed and they’ve seen.  What’s next, they bring others.  They repeat the mantra of Christ…”Come and see!”  They follow, but they also lead. 

No hesitation.  Staying close.  Calling others to join.  Following Jesus.

1. We’re all following someone or something.

2.  Following requires close proximity.

3.  We’re all leading.

Questions for you and your family:

What are you following that is causing hesitation in your response to the daily call of Christ?

Are you struggling to hear from God?  How can you become a closer follower?

Can you say you are proud of how/where you are leading others?

Thanks for downloading with us.  Praying for APPlication in your homes this week!  See you at enCOUNTER next week!

-Ross