April 8 – Eternal Returns

“The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.”(Proverbs 14:14)

IN WORD:
Can you imagine being one of the first stockholders in the automobile industry, where the horseless carriage was seen as a foolishly impossible endeavor? How much would your stock be worth today, over a century later? Wise and early investments, given time, become amazingly profitable. In fact, almost every economic investment, given enough time, produces exponential returns far overshadowing its initial cost. A few dollars invested wisely hundreds of years ago could be worth millions of dollars now.
The principle of “investment plus time equals profit” not only applies in the world’s economy, but also in God’s. Faithfulness, given time, has profitable results. And in God’s economy, the time is not measured in years but in eons. Our investments are eternal. Their profits never stop coming in.
The same principle also applies in the negative. Faithlessness bears a burdensome interest, and it never stops accruing without divine intervention and a repentant reversal. Or, as Paul says hundreds of years after Solomon: “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). It is foolish to expect otherwise, as so many do, thinking that recklessness will have no negative outcome. It is just as foolish to think that faithfulness may never be rewarded, even though it may be long in coming. God does not operate that way. Wisdom recognizes His character and knows that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

IN DEED:
Learn to see your actions today as eternal investments. They may not bear immediately visible profits or losses, but the profits and losses are given an eternity to work themselves out. Their scale can be massive. A wise word, a timely gift, or a simple act of service can compound daily for all eternity. God. Already knows their future value. When we’ve been there ten thousand years, how much will today’s investment be worth? More than we can ever imagine!

“God has given us a short time here upon earth, and yet upon this short time eternity depends.” -Jeremy Taylor-