Have you checked your investments lately?

Whether we know it or not, all of us are investors. Whether we are in the stock market or have another financial interest, all of us are involved in some kind of investment. The question is: Where do we invest? After we take care of the basics of food, shelter and clothing, where do we invest our time and substance? Certainly, where we invest tells what we are really interested in and where we think life’s best values are.

As for investments, money is not one’s most important investment. The pursuit of a meaningful life is more important than money. The people you love are more important than money as a long-term investment.

Although many people invest in material things, there are others who invest in intellectual, cultural and spiritual values. These types of investments are very important and life-changing. Below are some of them.

Investment in the family. Since the dawn of creation, the time of the very first family, God has chosen to trust earthly, frail human parents with the task of raising their children and molding their character. Undoubtedly, the well-being of a nation and its institutions is dependent on the integrity of its families.

We can invest in creating and strengthening the family by strengthening the ties of communication among family members. We can encourage parents and children to spend more time at home and maintain family unity through loyalty. Above all, we can help the family by enabling its members to surrender their lives to God.

Investment in knowledge and letting knowledge ripen to wisdom. The pursuit of knowledge is very important to society’s development. Knowledge is information that one possesses, whereas wisdom is good judgment or discernment for what is true and right, and one’s ability to put knowledge to good use.

In an age of increased specialization, our society needs people who will strive to cultivate the human side of their nature just as they push their mental horizons – people who educate their hearts as much as their heads. Thus, we must invest in education and Christian education for the sake of a sound and solid community life. Such an investment cannot be stolen, cannot be destroyed by fire and storms, and can never go bankrupt.

Investment in culture. Every nation is characterized by its culture. Culture is the physical, social and spiritual heritage of a people at a given time or over all time. It is the total body of material artifacts, works of art, collective, mental and spiritual ideas, beliefs, customs and values transmitted from generation to generation.

In all cultures, there is a multiplicity of elements, such as language, drama, architecture, painting, music and dancing. Sometimes if one of these elements is lost, the culture can survive on the strength of other elements. It is the cultural totality that preserves the culture of a people.

We are called to commit ourselves to the survival of our culture by preserving and perpetuating our heritage through our moral and financial support.

Investment in church. The church plays a very important role in the lives of people. Civilization depends upon its religious beliefs and convictions. No other institution can replace the church in cultivating and implementing the religious convictions needed in the civilizing process. The church offers the opportunity to worship God as revealed through Jesus Christ. It offers the opportunity to impart religious education for all ages. It also offers the opportunity to belong to a community of support and service.

We can invest in the church by our regular presence and participation, by recruiting others, and by our financial and moral support.

Investment in a good name. The Bible says, “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches” (Proverbs 22:1). A good name is synonymous with good character. It is more important than all the college degrees, public titles or knowledge that one might accumulate in a lifetime. It is the one thing over which every adult has total, personal control in virtually all circumstances. It may be what others, friends and even foes, will remember about us more than anything else.

Building character is not an easy task; it is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It is a life-long endeavor to study, learn, emulate and practice. It is to be learned from literature and especially from the book of life, the Bible. It is to emulate the greatest master, Jesus Christ Himself.

Investment in a personal experience of being in tune with God. Truth becomes effective and convincing at the level of personal experience. There is no substitute for personal experience. Having a personal experience with God is the most important investment. Jesus, the ultimate investment counselor says, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man gives you.” Jesus taught that the most basic investment of our lives is our commitment to God. He put it in these words, “Seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33). He summed up this whole matter of what we invest ourselves in with two searching questions: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul” (Mark 8:36-37). All of us are dealing with these questions daily, either consciously or unconsciously, as we build the investment portfolio of our lives and choose those things in which we invest our substance and ourselves.