Return on Investment

 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be...Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and [God] will give you everything you need.So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."

                     -Matthew 6: 19-21, 33-34 (NLT)

This was the passage studied in my church this morning, and I found myself jotting down a few notes and fervently underlining, capitalizing, and circling some main ideas that really spoke to me and opened my eyes.

The bottom line was: Time in this life is finite. Time is my most precious treasure--- how am I investing it?

The question our pastor posed today is: What does "seeking the Kingdom of God first" look like? 

All too often, people (**coughcoughmecough**) live our lives in a frenzy. We are over-committed, over-entertained, and over-stressed. We invest our time poorly. Often our time investments are legitimate---relationships, work, etc---however, sometimes our time investments are less noble---Facebook, TV, video games, etc. Whether legitimate or not, often our most precious treasure--our time and energy--is spent on "earthly" things. Our order of focus is:

 Work + Relationships + Fun = Life (+ squeeze God in here somewhere!)

However, really, that equation is completely backwards.

God = Life (+what else do I have time for?)

Obviously, we can't sit around reading our bibles and praying all day long. That's far from what a Godly life is all about. However, we are asked to seek Him and His will first. This means a few things:

1) God is an integral part of my day. I should be praying to Him, thinking about Him, and thanking Him every step of the way.
2) God's Word is first on the "To Do" list. I shouldn't go to bed without digging into my Bible! Often I live my life---work, time with people I love, entertainment--- and I find myself going to bed too tired to think about reading and leaving it for "tomorrow".
3) Focused time with God. When I have time carved out to spend getting to know God and reflecting on His word, that time should be completely free of anxiety or distractions. This might require I get up 30 minutes before the rest of the house, or stay up 30 minutes later. This also means that I'm not running through my chore list in the back of my mind while spending time with Him. This point actually reminded me of the times that I've talked to my husband on the phone when he was out of town and I could always tell when I didn't have his full attention. Sometimes he was watching TV, organizing his stuff, or was on his computer while talking to me and it was always very obvious and very frustrating/offensive to me. I always asked him, "I'm not asking for much! I just want to be the only thing you're focusing on for the next 20 minutes! Talk with me! Be engaged in our conversation!" ... and I can only imagine God saying the same thing to me during our prayer time!
4) We need to "become God with skin on" to those around us. That means we're full-time Christians engaging with the world around us in love, faith, hope, humility, and  forgiveness. The world is not going to be "convinced" of our faith because we preach at them every once in a while, or because we go to church on Sundays, or because we point out all their sins. The world will only be convinced when we fully embody who God is. The only way that happens is if we've been putting God first and have gotten to know Him intimately through our relationship with Him.

The big realization I've come to is that I, ashamedly, have been investing my time poorly. I've spent more time in the void of mindless entertainment than I do in pursuit of God. What's the return of investment on Facebooking? YouTubing? Workaholism? Not a whole lot. However, the return of investment on prioritizing a life of faith and a relationship with God is infinite.

I'm just hoping I can remember that. I'd hate to pull my "Eternity Fund" only to make a few bad investments and end up losing big time.