No Guarantees!
"But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation
and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts
which drown men in destruction and perdition."
1 Timothy 6: 9
In the fine print of every prospectus for an investment product
is found some version of these words: “Past performance is no
guarantee of future results.”
Everyone who reads that disclaimer knows what the warning
actually means: Just because this investment made money
in the past does not mean it will make money in the future.
Why are investment products required, by law, to issue that warning
to investors? Because people want to make money, to get rich. We
are ready and willing to invest in something that was profitable in
the past hoping it will continue its profitability into the future.
We must remember Paul’s words: The desire to be rich is a temptation
and a snare; the desire to be rich is a foolish and harmful lust. There’s
nothing wrong investing wisely to be a good steward. But if we invest
impulsively to become rich, we're yielding to a dangerous temptation.
We can’t take wealth with us to heaven unless we’ve
invested in heaven. The fruit of kingdom investments
will yield glory to God for eternity.
"A man is just as rich as his
investment in the bank of heaven."
Vance Havner