28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” 32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34)
Theme: If not You, then Who?
Over the last two days we have considered Jesus’ identity and integrity. Today we will examine His investments in lives.
In Mark chapters 11 and 12 there are multiple accounts of Jesus explaining vital concepts for life. Just scan the two chapters and you will get a sense of the premium Jesus put on providing vital instructions during the final week of His earthly ministry. His audiences included his disciples, religious leaders, and the broader public. When compared to investments in financial assets, investments in people are far more important. Jesus takes investments in lives to the highest level because He does it with an eternal perspective.
Our passage for today captures just one of Jesus’ many “investments”. On this occasion, He invests in the life of one of the teachers of the law, and what a master class it is. For Jesus, this is not about demonstrating His mental prowess. It is obvious that He has a more eternal purpose. Note Jesus’ parting words to the teacher – “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” You can tell what Jesus is focused on.
Please prayerfully read the passage above and answer the question below.
Question
In your sphere of influence, how are you investing in lives with eternity in mind?
March 31, 2021 at 4:52 am
In my sphere of influence, I believe the very first people the Lord allowed me to have influence is my family. I’m grateful that when I became a mother, I have already renewed my relationship with the Lord and became a born again Christian. It was perfect timing that I have renewed faith and was on fire to study God’s word, when my children were still kindergartners. At that young age, I taught them
about Jesus and took them to Sunday School. To me, teaching children about Jesus at a young age is like making a huge investment. That’s why ever since I became a Christian, I always involved my self in children’s ministry either at church or in the community. The treasure from God’s word, the values children learned at a tender age is instilled at them, and cannot be snatched away. It will serve as foundation and core of their faith. My children both accepted Jesus as their Lord and savior when they were 16 and 17 years old. Of course it doesn’t end there. I have to see that my children will continue to invest time teaching and sharing God’s word and Jesus’ gift of salvation to the next generation. Continued prayer and being grounded in God’s Word, fellowship with believers and growing with church family, are only some of the ways to grow the investment. The harvest is stated in Galatians 5:22, “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things, there is no law. “
To me, investing in lives with eternity in mind, also means using all my available resources to share the Gospel, so that many in the world will be saved and have eternal life. The available resources may not only material resources like money ( of course it is important to fund missionary works , and events to spread the gospel) but if you have the talent to teach or help at Sunday School to teach kids or be involved in Vacation Bible school of your church, that is also a great way of investing in lives with eternity in mind.
Our everyday life , the activities we do, the groups/circles we are in, can be the places God is telling us to invest with eternity in mind. We may not be aware but sometimes, God puts us in places or letting us meet people in certain places and specific times because God has a plan and sometimes, in order to accomplish His plan, we need to be involved by investing our time, effort , talent and whatever resources God has given us. God’s gift of eternal salvation is available to all, we should not hesitate to invest in lives and have plentiful harvest.
March 31, 2021 at 5:22 am
The first lives I think about are those of my children. I pray for them all the time. I’ve “dedicated” them to God, while reminding them that they are His, and encouraging them to live as such. I also remind them to apply what they learn in their Bible reading and devotional, to their life.
My prayer is that they’ll be God-fearing, Christ-like kids, who will grow to be God-fearing, Christ-like adults who have faith and total dependence on God, and live a life that is always pleasing in His sight.
March 31, 2021 at 8:31 am
Even though I cannot explicitly share my faith with my students (as in evangelizing), I try to act and encourage them in a way that would help lead them to God. I’m not shy about my beliefs if I am asked, but for those that don’t ask, I hope to guide them with love and patience in such a way that they are curious as to why I might be “different” than others that they encounter. I see this as an investment in their lives because I’m genuinely wishing for a future in which they come to know God intimately.
March 31, 2021 at 10:42 pm
I am doing that right now having my grandchildren and son in law live with me.
I think he may see the light soon.
Meanwhile I teach my 7 year old grand.
April 1, 2021 at 10:39 pm
To take a different approach, I feel God has given me the opportunities to have influence and invest in lives with peers of mine in the past, through long distance communication via video chat or phone calls. I have deep relationships with these people however we can only communicate through technology.
I would say to never underestimate any person you may come across in your life because one day they might reach out to you in a time(s) of need and that is where relationships start. That is how the majority of mine have.
This has been the epitome of my Covid communication experience, in terms of investing in lives. It would be cool if people still wrote each other letters. I was quite young when that was the norm but also the advancement of technology has made been so beneficial for the communication world.
April 1, 2021 at 10:48 pm
The greatest spheres of influence in my life, with eternity in mind, are first and foremost my immediate and extended families, then others with whom I interact closely such as my friends, students, co-workers and others with whom I meet. Whether it’s by personally witnessing to those who are not yet saved, and/or by simply letting ” . . . [my] light shine so that they may see [my] good works and be led to glorify [my] Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5: 16), I influence others for eternity. It’s strange how even marketing scrubs and medical uniforms opens up the opportunity to influence other people’s lives as sometimes I end up doing more counselling and praying than selling stuff! Amazing how many sad, lonely and broken people (many of whom I do not even know or know well) voluntarily share their pain amidst their tears. People need the Lord regardless of class, color, race or creed! People need people too! Our mission field is everywhere!