As the banking system teeters, Keep your hearts and mind on Jesus--Your treasure is safe
As the U.S. stock market suffered a massive selloff following a failed Congressional bailout proposal, more than a trillion dollars in stock value was erased in one day.
Whatever your feelings about the bailout, you probably seriously reflected upon your savings plan and the safety of your money. Clearly, evaluating and re-evaluating where you’ve placed your assets isn’t unreasonable but a prudent stewardship of what God has given into your hands.
I want to share with you three important thoughts. The first is in the form of a question. If the heads of all these major banking institutions could not see their failure coming, then how could you, an individual saver/investor see it? Most of these CEO’s lost hundreds of millions of dollars of their fortunes. If they were so brilliant and in-touch with the market, wouldn’t they have moved their money to safer places?
They lacked something that is available to you, as a child of the King. They lacked the “wisdom” of heaven, that comes only from God. What I have realized is that the wisdom that I had yesterday, is not enough for today. Each day, I must pray and ask God for His wisdom to survive and accomplish the challenges of each new day. Wisdom is much like manna—it is often very useful for the day it arrives, but we must have new manna from heaven each day.
If you are counting on your own brilliance to survive in the months and years ahead, you will find, like these failed CEOs, that disaster may overtake you without warning. We should be thoughtful about where we place our trust. David, as King of Israel and commander of all their armies, still could say, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Ps 20:7)
Secondly, I would like to encourage you to remember that that you have something far more valuable and certain than any investment—the love of Jesus Christ. And, everything you have done in love for Him, is safely in His hands for eternity. It can never be stolen, diminished, lost and will never be forgotten.
I think of all the ways in which God’s people have sacrificed their own wealth to enrich the kingdom of God for Jesus sake. Even if their banks fail, their savings be stolen, or their investments become worthless, their most valuable and eternal deposits are safely in the bank of Heaven.
If we know this, we may suffer difficulties for the few years of this life, but our most eternal and priceless treasures are waiting for us in Heaven.
Finally, I would encourage you to consider being content with less. After decades of excess, this certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing, especially considering how it has affected us spiritually. God has promised to provide our daily bread, while many among us, have expected Him to provide us fortunes. May we, like Paul, be able to find contentment in the days of “less” to the degree we rejoiced in the days of “much.”
This month, I must advise you of a change of circumstances in our orphanage in Mangalagiri. We had 20 orphans taken and placed in a new government residence facility. (See article on back for greater details.) This change will affect some of our child sponsors, and we will be providing you new child sponsor packages shortly. We face a continuing spiritual battle to lift up the name of Christ, even when the enemy seems to make inroads against us.
We believe God has placed us here for His glory and we will be faithful, no matter the circumstances we face. Thank you for sharing this work with us in fervent prayer and faithful support. May He bless you for your kindness.
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