Joe Bowden: God gives us life as an investment

I am not a banker, but I do understand the basics of investing. You buy something, like a stock, bond, or property, with the hope that its value will increase over time.

This exercise comes with the risk of losing money, should a stock or bond decrease in value. It also has the potential for greater returns than you'd receive by putting your money in a simple savings account.

I well remember my dear old curmudgeon uncle Carl saying many times, “The way to getting rich is to buy low and sell high!” Unfortunately for Carl the opposite was true most of his life. He was more a gambler looking for the quick buck than a shrewd investor who was satisfied with long-term positive returns.

In many ways I experience God in a metaphorical role as an investment banker. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is quite familiar to most of us and is an example of God in that role and his expectations and hopes for each of us.

The Parable tells of a master who had to go away. Before departing he entrusted his goods and wealth to three servants. Each of the servants received five, two and one talents respectively (a talent was a significant amount of money). One line of the parable is important; the master gave the servants five, two and one talent, according to the abilities of each.

Upon returning from a long absence the master asked for an accounting. Two of the servants who had faith in their master invested well with an excellent return. The third servant who had no faith in his master simply buried the talent entrusted to him. The master was pleased with the first two servants. He was not very happy with the third.

Over time I have come to conclude that when God gives each and everyone of us the gift of our life, he considers that life an investment with the expectation for a positive return. That positive return is best expressed if when we leave this life, we leave the world a better place than we found it. The degree of that positive return will vary from person to person “according to our abilities.”

The best way to honor God’s investment in our lives is to honor that trust by a simple investment formula: Love God with all our heart, mind, and soul; love our neighbor as ourselves; and in everything, do to others what we would have them do to us.  Simply put this is righteousness – doing the right thing.

As God has invested in us, our return to him on that investment is that we invest our lives in the service of others. When that happens, a remarkable thing occurs. Making other’s lives better has the remarkable potential for an exponential return. As others experience God’s love through us, hopefully they pass that love onto others, making the world a better place.

The Rev. Joe Bowden is the assisting priest at Church of the Good Shepherd.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: God gives us life as an investment in our hoped for righteousness