My best friend is distraught over the economy and the state of her investments. I have investments. I should be distraught. I'm not stupid, but I am not over-wrought. We are ALL in this boat together. This crosses all boundaries--national, international, socio-economic, etc.
I realize that I need to stop reassuring her. She deserves to vent her frustrations and fears. I thought, "What do I know?" Then, I read through a recent message by John Ortberg and was reassured... Not that all my money will be there again soon, but that it really doesn't matter.
I’ll give you the best investment advice you will ever receive, and you are not likely to hear it from Warren Buffet, and here it is: You’re going to die. You are going to die, rich or poor.
All the money in the world cannot change that, so do not buy the myth that enough money can ever make you one iota more secure than you are right now. You have to build your life on something stronger than that. The reality is housing values will go up and down. Bank accounts rise and fall. Financial conditions ebb and flow. I can't build my life on that stuff. What is more solid? I think what Jesus, the smartest guy about money who ever lived, would say today is build your life on what never changes and what never changes is the character and the power of our God.
I was thinking about how there’s a ticker that everybody pays attention to these days on the floor of the New York stock exchange—what’s up; what’s down; what’s unchanged. I was thinking, if there was a ticker for the kingdom of God…
What matters most is the character and the competence of our God. Here’s how that ticker would read:
God’s character today: Unchanged.
God’s patience today: Unchanged.
God’s commitment to justice today: Unchanged.
God’s heart of mercy today: Unchanged.
God’s love for you: Unchanged.
God’s moral compass: Unchanged.
The market has dropped, but nothing in Heaven has changed today. God is still sovereign. Jesus still sits on the throne at the right hand of His Father. He is our rock. He is the anchor in the storm. He is our only hope. He is the North Star that alone we can be guided by.
By the way, Congress does not get to vote on this, and by the way, the next president will not need to cobble a deal to make arrangements for the kingdom of God.
By the way, the kingdom of God will never need to bail out from the US Treasury. It’s doing real well. So don't buy the myth that money can make you secure. Get your security someplace else.
I was thinking about how there’s a ticker that everybody pays attention to these days on the floor of the New York stock exchange—what’s up; what’s down; what’s unchanged. I was thinking, if there was a ticker for the kingdom of God…
What matters most is the character and the competence of our God. Here’s how that ticker would read:
God’s character today: Unchanged.
God’s patience today: Unchanged.
God’s commitment to justice today: Unchanged.
God’s heart of mercy today: Unchanged.
God’s love for you: Unchanged.
God’s moral compass: Unchanged.
The market has dropped, but nothing in Heaven has changed today. God is still sovereign. Jesus still sits on the throne at the right hand of His Father. He is our rock. He is the anchor in the storm. He is our only hope. He is the North Star that alone we can be guided by.
By the way, Congress does not get to vote on this, and by the way, the next president will not need to cobble a deal to make arrangements for the kingdom of God.
By the way, the kingdom of God will never need to bail out from the US Treasury. It’s doing real well. So don't buy the myth that money can make you secure. Get your security someplace else.
Where is God During Financial Melt Down
John Ortberg
Menlo Park Presbyterian Church
10/19/08
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