Things to Invest in….

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “ Luke 12: 32-34.

In the last post I referenced Luke 12:13-34 with regard to wise investments. Jesus says to invest your life in things that will not wear out, in treasure that will not be exhausted. That raises some questions: where is this treasure, and what are these things that will not wear out? How do you find them? How do you lead your children to investments that yield such a rich reward?

The biblical answer to this question has important implications for your role as a parent. God has called you to give your treasures to your children. These treasures come from your instruction to your children.  Proverbs 1:8-9 describes your instruction as fine jewelry with which you are to adorn your children. Do you regard the instructions you give your children as precious and rare gifts to them? Do your instructions really point them in the direction of treasure that cannot be exhausted?

To give precious gifts you must first know how to distinguish rare and beautiful gifts from ordinary gifts. When my children were young we traveled to a gemstone mine in the  North  Carolina mountains. We were given a small bucket of mud, dirt and rocks to examine and see if there were any raw precious stones which could be fashioned into fine jewelry. Finding the right words to say to your children is a little like sifting through those buckets of dirt and ordinary rocks at the mine.  A sharp eye was needed to distinguish the good stones from the ordinary ones. Of course, the people who worked at the mine could recognize the good stones much more quickly than we could.  In the same way, as you seek to develop your relationship with God through his word, you will more easily sort out ordinary words from the extraordinary, precious words that speak of the glory of God. As your heart treasures the wisdom of God you will find more quickly those words that will build up and bring encouragement rather than the sharp words that produce discouragement. You see, not just any word that comes to mind will bring the Spirit’s treasures to the surface. You want to use words that are carefully chosen to yield treasure which will not wear out.

Think about the words you use to instruct your children. Are they common words that are indistinguishable from broken rock and dirt? Or are they words that contain heavenly treasure?  You want to shepherd your children toward those investments that will never wear out and can never be stolen from your children. Your words of instruction indicate where your treasure lies as well. As you consider the everyday words you use—why not share some of your thoughts with us? In the next post we will continue to examine this connection between your words and biblical treasure.

Comments

[Don Fields]

I do all I can to use biblical terms. Call things what the Bible calls things. Don't use generic terms, but use pointed, biblical terms that come from Scripture and always point children to the particular verses. This isn't easy, but persistence will pay dividends.

[Jay Younts]

Thanks, Don for your comment. Using the Scripture in this way helps parents place the focus on God and His Word. This is a vital step to showing our children true treasure.