Council Community Church

Pastor's Corner

A ONE-BASKET INVESTMENT 4-28-06

“Portfolio diversification” is something that big-shot investors are always talking about. Many of us are doing well if we have a few hundred dollars put away in a savings account, so we don’t worry too much about diversifying our portfolio. But for a millionaire it is a way to help protect and grow wealth. Diversification is all about putting your money into several different places/investments so that you don’t get hurt too badly if one of them hits the skids. It’s summed-up in the old proverb: Don’t put all of your eggs into one basket.

For instance, an investment portfolio manager might recommend that a person have 30% of their money in equities/stocks, 25% in bonds/T-bills, 25% in real estate, 10% in precious metals, and 10% in a liquid account (money market). The exact mix is never agreed upon, but it is unanimous that the goal is to protect against loss when something goes wrong, because when one investment goes down, there is another doing well to take up the slack.

That works fine in the world of high finance, but it doesn’t fly too high in God’s Universal Economy. The LORD isn’t into diversifying His “people portfolio” or hedging His human investments in case something goes wrong. He invests Himself TOTALLY. The Living God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has always been an all-or-nothing sort of God:

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28) That is God’s total investment in people. No hedging of His bets; no covering His backside. Simply laying it all out there 100% in total commitment.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Jesus reiterated this when He stated, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) There’s no diversification shown here; no “Plan B” to fall back on. But who am I to call God a lousy investor? Instead, I should heed the Master as He calls His people to follow His example of total commitment in relationships – regardless of the risk – for the benefit of others.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:3-8)

We are also to show a single-minded and thorough investment of ourselves into God: “’The most important [commandment],’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:29-30) “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

So diversify your financial assets, but when it comes to Jesus Christ and other people, invest all that you are, absolutely and without reservation. That’s an investment that just can’t go wrong! Put ALL of your eggs into this basket!