ROI. It’s a term you’ve likely heard if you’ve been around the investing or leadership world for any length of time. It stands for return on investment, and we take it into account in so many interactions within our lives. From the CEO determining staffing plans to the kids on the playground trying to figure out how to earn some spending money, we all consider what we put into something in comparison to what we will get out of it.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to realize more and more of the importance of saving for retirement; of having a long-term strategy for investing money in a way in which I would experience a great return on that money at a future date. To be honest, today-year-old me wishes that 18-year-old me had spent a little more time considering the phrase, “compounding interest,” rather the phrase, “12 easy payments.” But I digress.
Needless to say, having a long-term strategy for investing is extremely important to putting forth your best effort to ensure you have what you need financially as you move towards the later years of your life. My suggestion is simply that it’s not the most important thing on which to put your focus. I actually believe there’s something further out, and of exponentially more significance of which to invest.
Many of us spend enough time thinking about the long-term. We are just not thinking about a long enough term.
What I mean by that is that financial advisors are pushing us to consider the next 30-60 years. For a person who believes that our lives are eternal, I just believe 30-60 years of thinking about investing my money is just too short of a term.
Now, before you check out on this article because it went too spiritual, entertain the following conclusions:
If the Bible is true then we are created beings who will live forever. That means that while our lives on earth may end after 60-90 years (the current average lifespan is just below 80, though it’s longer for women than men), our lives actually keep moving on into eternity. If we are considering the return on our investment, and a long-term strategy for investing in our future, shouldn’t we focus on leveraging our investment towards that period in which we will spend the most time?
The question that follows then is, “How do I leverage my money now for eternity?”
Well the bad news for you is that the fishing boat, Silverado, and ranch house are not things you can take with you (Sorry, those may just be my dream). However, there’s an even greater investment opportunity: leveraging your money now for people to be changed by the Gospel and brought into relationship with God forever. All the stuff you can buy and the security you can build up in a bank account are temporary. All that we have we are given from the Lord to steward for a short time here on earth. We are to invest it for a greater purpose: that more people would come to know Jesus and spend eternity with Him.
There is no greater investment than Gospel advancement.
What does this actually look like? I think for many of us it starts with a mentality shift.
Paul writes to the Corinthians about our mindset towards generosity:
The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. – 2 Cor. 9:6-8
Here’s what I take from this that we can apply to our mindset:
- There is a ROI principle around giving, so sow/invest into what matters most.
- God wants to grow our desire to be generous.
- God is able to provide for us to live generously.
Shifting our mindset towards sowing into the eternal, desiring a generous heart, and trusting God to provide can radically change how we live. Here’s the challenge though: We’ve got to take the step. We can’t leave it in our mind without taking it into the real world.
Below is our Generosity Ladder, which is meant to be a guide in taking steps in generosity over time. I encourage you to read through it and consider the question:
What’s your next step in living generously?
