Making Good Investments

Jesus was the Master investor. Emulating His way of investing in others has completely transformed my life and ministry.

Making Good Investments

"And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."

(2 Timothy 2:1-2)

I recently shared with our staff team at church a brief lesson on investing in others. I also sent this message to the SBTC for publication as an article in the SB Texan magazine. Today, I will share with you, our devotional readers, regarding this important topic of investing. The word invest (or investment) is a popular word in our English vocabulary. Various thoughts come to mind when we hear the word. Perhaps the first thing to pop into your head is the investment of money for the future. In our faith, the word has a rich connotation of helping and discipling others.

We recently wrapped up at our church our Spring men's Bible study on the Book of Titus. We studied Josh Smith's excellent and very practical book, The Titus Ten: Foundations for Godly Manhood. The last chapter is entitled "Investments". In this chapter, he encourages and challenges men not only to have someone investing in them but also to have others in whom they are investing.

Jesus was the Master investor, as seen in the Gospels and in books like Robert Colman's The Master Plan of Evangelism. This book literally changed my life and approach to ministry. Following Coleman's advice, I began over 30 years ago pouring into and investing in other men to help them grow in their relationship with Jesus. What a wonderful journey it has been!

Paul instructed Timothy to commit or pass the faith along to other men who will be able to teach others. The word translated "commit" can also be translated as deposit, put forth, and set before.

Here are a few practical principles on investing in others:

Ask the Lord to show you the person or people He wants you to invest in or disciple. That is a prayer God loves to answer in the affirmative! Jesus prayed all night before selecting the 12 Apostles (Luke 6:12-13).
Be intentional. Do not wait for someone to ask you to disciple them. They may never ask.
Begin with the end in mind. Replication is the goal. Remember 2 Timothy 2:2: "...who will be able to teach others also."
Disciple them to Jesus and the Church, not to you. Of course, there will be a close bond formed with those you disciple, and that is fine. But our main goal is to help them grow closer to Jesus, so that when God moves us on, they will be even stronger in their faith, not weaker.
Persevere in the process. It is not easy, but it is the best way to change the world.

May the Lord bless you as you follow Jesus's way of investing in others–women with other women and men with other men. You will grow by leaps and bounds as you make disciples by pouring into others. What a wonderful task in which to be engaged.

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Podcast of the Week

Strongman for Jesus: Devin Wyman on Evangelism, Overcoming Obstacles, and More

Pastor Danny welcomes to the show strongman, evangelist, and motivational speaker Devin Wyman to share his powerful testimony of God's grace, redemption, and guiding hand that took him from staring down the barrel of a prison sentence to the NFL to now using feats of strength to open the door to sharing the gospel all across the world.

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