How To Survive A Bad Economy!

How To Survive A Bad Economy
by Randy Robison

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break
in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)

There's a lot of talk about the economy these days. The stock
market is taking a beating, homes are being foreclosed and the dollar
is losing value. The news is full of doom and gloom, so people are
worried. Accusations of thievery and mismanagement abound. But when
the blame is set aside and the financial intricacies are stripped
away, what is the core issue?

Mark Punzo, a friend of the ministry who works at the Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center, recently asked me, "What is
something worth?"

It didn't take me long to reply, "Whatever somebody will pay for it."

"So what are you worth?" he asked. I admit my first
thought went to life insurance actuary tables. My salary times x
number of years before I retire...

But I knew that wasn't what he was driving at, so I guessed,
"Whatever someone will pay me?"

"Whatever someone will pay for you," he corrected. Then he
asked a question that really bent my mind. "What did God pay for
you?"

Now I got it. God paid for me with His only Son's blood. It
certainly wasn't the first time I'd heard that principle,
but it was the first time I had heard it put that way. It struck me
hard. Is that really the value God places on me? Am I worth the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ? Why don't I act like it?

"When God spoke that to me," Mark continued, "He
then said, 'Look at all the people around you. That's what
they are worth to Me, too.'"

What incredible value! You, your loved ones, your acquaintances and
even the people you don't know are by far the most valuable
things ever created, worth more than any company's stock, assets
or investments.

So why is it that we seem to be more concerned about our retirement
plans than our relatives? Why do we react to an economic crisis with
more urgency than a spiritual crisis? Do we really see the value in
ourselves and in other people that God sees?

I confess that I take people for granted. If I spotted a $20 bill in
the gutter, I'd stop to pick it up. But I have passed right by a
person lying in the gutter without any second thoughts. I think
perhaps my sense of value is askew. As a "responsible"
husband and father, I spend time laying up treasure on earth for
medical bills, college and (hopefully, some day) retirement. But those
things will all pass away. My daughter's car will eventually
break down and rust, but her spirit is eternal. My son's braces
will give him a nice smile for a while, but what kind of man will he
be when his teeth are falling out and his looks don't matter any
more?

I have decided to not worry about the economy. Good or bad, God is in
control. I can only have one response if I want to hold on to anything
of value: invest in the things in which God has invested.

You are worth what God paid for you. So is your spouse, your child and
your neighbor. If you want to be rich, don't look to your bank
account. It will fail you. Look to the people in your life and invest
in them. Then you will be truly prosperous, no matter what the economy
does. And unlike the wealth of this world, you can take it with you
forever.

This Week
Don't worry about the economy; just make good investments.
Deposit your time and love into someone's life.

Prayer
"Father, forgive me for focusing on the temporal things of this
earth. Help me to see the value in people that You see and lay up
treasure in heaven by investing in them."