Where is Your Treasure?
- Author:
- Kevin Hopkins
With Exponential Growth, one can see that just a little change in the growth factor can make a significant difference in the value of an investment over time.
Where should we invest?
The figure above illustrates the impact of a change in the amount of investment and a change in the rate of return on an investment. We have a variety of choices in the places we can invest our money, time, and talents. We can't always predict the rate of return on any investment. With investments on earth, a lot of unexpected things can happen.
Matthew 6:19-20. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
How long do we have to invest?
An unknown factor in the above diagram is how long will the investment be compounding? In calculus, we also have the concept of limit. We say lim (x->c) f(x) = L if f(x) is close to L whenever x is close to c.
We put a lot of time into what will happen when ... I teach students who can't wait to get out to the "real world". Once there, they can't wait for marriage, or children, or grandchildren, or retirement. Do we know when any of those will occur? Are we guaranteed they will ever occur? How much time do we put into planning for those things that aren't even guaranteed? Shouldn't we make preparations for eternity?
2 Corinthians 4: 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.