Save And Invest In The Future

“The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.” – Matthew 25:16-18. 

Saving and investing often are used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Saving is a way of protecting while investing is a way of growing. What should we be doing with the money and gifts God has entrusted to us? Should we be saving or investing?

In Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the talents, we hear of a master entrusting three servants with his property while he’s away. When the master returns and begins taking inventory, the first two servants double what they were entrusted, but the last servant brings back the same amount he was given. In verse 27, the master responds by saying, “why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.”

Watchman Nee pointed out in a sermon that a person will walk differently when he has a treasure in his pocket. If you’re walking down the street and only have a quarter in your pocket, you aren’t very concerned about losing it. But if you’re given $10,000 and told to guard it in your pocket you will be a lot more careful than if you had only a quarter. There are certain things that you just won’t do, for fear of losing that treasure.

If you have deposited your life with Jesus Christ, then He has deposited the precious treasure of the gospel with you. Invest your life wisely, which means, invest wisely how you spend each day. To invest your life successfully, deposit it with Christ and guard His deposit with you.

Multiplying will always have an element of risk involved, but the alternative of staying put doesn’t yield results. The gifts we have been given are God’s, so we should guard against underutilizing our time, money, relationships, or talents because of fear of the future. God wants us to further His kingdom. In order to do that, we must be active with our resources. The Bible says a lot about making financial investments. In fact, Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.”

A fundamental financial principle is this: when you spend your money, it’s gone. Yet when you save your money, it works for you. The problem with most of us is that we work for our money instead of letting our money work for us. If we want God’s blessing on our finances, we must learn to save and invest for the future.  

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between saving and investing in your mind? 
2. What can we do this week to invest our money, time, gifts, and resources to further the Kingdom?