November 17, 2002

What investment strategy suits you? Stocks or bonds? Mutual funds or venture capital? All of us want to maximize the return on our investments. Receiving a large gift might spark our enthusiasm for investing well. The Scriptures this week urge us to invest enthusiastically the tremendous gifts we have received.

Two brothers received identical inheritance gifts. One thinking of his limited investment knowledge and his fear of taking risks, put his money in a savings account. Due to the rate of inflation, when he died, his children received even less than their father had been given. The second brother, thinking of his children's future, overcame his far and used his limited investment knowledge t buys stocks that doubled the value of the inheritance he left his children.

Like the brother who invested his inheritance, the woman in proverbs who brought blessing to her household, and the good and faithful servants in today's parable, and those who think of others needs will not be afraid to risk making their time, talent and treasure available as a blessing to others. And, they will receive eternal blessing in return. Those who think only of themselves, their own fears and limitations, however, may lose the gifts they have been given.

Perhaps the greatest gift we have is the faith we were given in Baptism. In Baptism we became children to the light who now are able to walk by the light of faith. Each of us is responsible for conscientiously investing that gift of faith so that it can be a blessing in our lives and the lives of those we touch. This is just another way of describing what it means for the baptized to respond faithfully to our generous and faithful God.

SO THE QUESTION: CAN YOU IDENTIFY ONE OF YOUR GIFTS AND THEN BLESS SOMEONE ELSE'S LIFE WITH THAT GIFT?

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