Today’s reading was 1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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As I was watching the wild gyrations of the stock market this morning, I was reminded that my truly important investments are absolutely safe, and this is the passage that tells me so. Because of this new birth, I have an inheritance that is kept for me in heaven, and it can never perish, spoil or fade (or I might add, depreciate or lose value because of a negative earnings report or market crash).
I remember the feeling when I was young, depositing small amounts of money in my Post Office Savings Account, and feeling good about the fact that my money was safe in the Post Office. Now that it was in their safekeeping, I didn’t have to worry about losing it, or someone stealing it. I find that same sense of security when I think about my heavenly inheritance.
In this same paragraph, we read that our faith is of greater worth than gold, and that in the end, we receive the end result of our faith, the salvation of our souls. You can’t put a price on that.
So, to all of us who are tempted to be anxious about our earthly portfolios, remember that the heavenly one is kept safe and is guaranteed. Our investment in our soul is never wasted. Of course, we might need to adjust the weighting of our portfolio from time to time (adjust the balance of time alone with God, time in meaningful community with others, time serving someplace) but the essential value will never decrease.
D.O.W. = Deity On Watch = God is in control
S & P = Spirituality and Priorities
NASDAQ = Not A Single Day Away (from the) Quest – to love God and others more deeply.
(Yes, I know it’s cheesy, but it’s the best I can come up with at short notice). Have a great start to the week.