A Wise Investment (Hot Tip)

The Word is first...

Psalm 130:7 (NIV)
⁷ O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

In general, people seem to have no problem sharing hot stock tips or recipes but they are more reticent when it comes to sharing things of greater or eternal importance. For instance, I've never gotten an e-mail or a phone call telling me "you've got to try this with your wife, it saved my marriage" or "you won't believe how "this listening technique allowed my friendships to move to a higher level." I get plenty of jokes, recipes and shopping tips in my e-mail all of which are summarily deleted but very seldom do I get anything that is truly useful.

The same cannot be said for what is revealed to me in God's word. It is amazing to me that each day that I turn to God's word, there is something useful and timely before me. Admittedly there have been day when I would read the appointed verse and go "huh?" But after prayerful consideration and contextualization, God has always delivered just what I need. I think of this as proof of the 'living word of God' and the efforts of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Nevertheless, today is not one of those 'huh?' days, it's one of those "I need to call my friends and tell them about this great investment tip" days.

Consider the passage at the top of this post and allow me to share my thoughts with you.

First, the passage is addressed to the nation of Israel. I am of the mind that I have been adopted into the family of Abraham and therefore any advice to that nation is equally applicable to me. Consequently we I read this passage I mentally substitute my name for 'Israel' so that in this case it reads "O Carl."

Secondly, the nature of this passage is advice. When my earthly father is ready to offer advice, it begins with "what you need to do is..." Often, due to my own weaknesses, when I hear that phrase I immediately erect mental walls and brace myself for what follows. I suspect that there are a great many who respond the same way to advice offered from God. Of course, knowing this, I should be careful to tear down my walls and to listen eagerly to the advice before me.

The nature of the advice is essentially an eternal investment strategy. We are to 'put our hope in the Lord.' To liken this to earthly advice like "buy Google" is to cheapen it and I only offer that comparison as a means of understanding, not comparison. It is our choice where to place our hope. I myself have placed my hope in a variety of worldly things such as; money, people, power, prestige, luck, skill and cleverness. By experience I have learned that to hope in these things is to throw my hope away. The better place to invest my hope is, as this passage teaches, in the Lord.

The reason for the security of this investment is "for with the Lord is unfailing love." Companies fail and stock becomes worthless. People are unpredictable and guaranteed to disappoint. Prestige is fleeting and ultimately without value. Luck is random and comes in two varieties, good and bad. Skill is personal, individual and subject to decay. Cleverness is a charade and a farce and is ultimately deceiving. But the Lord, he is unfailing, solid and unchanging. To entrust our hope to the Lord is not a sure bet, it is a wise investment.

The returns of such an investment is 'full redemption.' Consider the magnitude of that pay-off. I consulted Merriam-Webster on the word 'redemption' and here is the definition; "the act, process, or an instance of redeeming." So, naturally, I looked up 'redeeming' and discovered that it means "serving to offset or compensate for a defect." Ouch! With this understanding then I am to conclude that in the Lord, my defects are completely overcome. He completes every shortcoming and corrects every defect. How can I even begin to calculate the rate of return for such an investment? I am incapable of that level of divine math. What I do understand is that putting my hope in the Lord is not only a risk-free investment, it is a guaranteed winner.

So, I'm using my blog today to offer you the best advice ever offered to me. This is a HOT TIP and you should pay close attention, do not delay and act immediately. Place your hope in the Lord. Oh, feel free to share this with everyone.

Peace,
Carl