A Lesson from Bedtime Reading
Reading every night before bed is a favorite in our household. One of our favorite books is called The Rainbow Fish.
Rainbow fish is a beautiful fish with sparkling, magnificent scales. He swims along happily flashing his beautiful self for all the other fish to envy. One tiny, blue fish has the gumption to ask Rainbow Fish if he would share one of the sparkling scales. Initially, Rainbow Fish is appalled. They are his scales, after all. Why would he give away his scales? After a serious conversation with a wise octopus and a bit of soul searching, Rainbow Fish offers tiny blue fish a scale. This offering does something strange to Rainbow Fish. He feels better after sharing one of his prized possessions. Soon, all the other fish in the sea begin to seek their very own flashy scale. Wouldn’t you know it, the more generous Rainbow Fish was with his scales, the more fulfilled he was!
Rainbow Fish learned that the more he was willing to invest in others, the more he received in return. This notion bodes well for our finances, too. The more we give to investment accounts, the more we’ll receive in returns.
A Lesson from Scripture
In 2 Corinthians 9:6, Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to sow financially into the lives of those doing Kingdom work. This giving wasn’t under an act of legalism, but through a stature of grace. The Corinthians were inspired by their salvation to sow generously into the ministry. The more believers financially gave to those carrying out Kingdom work, the more others had the chance to hear the Gospel. Over time, this cycle of giving would increase
The Apostle Paul uses a basic farming analogy to illustrate this idea of giving and receiving: If we plant little seed, we cannot expect a large harvest. These verses can be carried over into the ways we invest our money. When we sow money into investment opportunities, over time that money will grow in abundance. The more money we put into these accounts, the more return on investments we receive.
Our money needs a place to grow and multiply over time. This is possible through investing.
There are multiple ways to invest our money. Stocks and bonds, 401k plans, Individual Retirement Accounts, and real estate investing are just a few examples. Investing isn’t exclusive to high income families. Everyone has the ability and opportunity to invest. Investing takes money and just as importantly, time. The sooner you start investing, the better!
Next Steps helpful links to get started on an investment plan
