Enemy Number One

The Investor’s Number One Enemy is a wrong view of where we can find satisfaction.

This is the first in a new series I have been thinking about. Each one will contain thoughts about the big picture. The big picture is life and the purpose of our lives. So some of this series may not be of interest to every reader. However, I believe every investor should pause and think seriously about more than just the long-term. In our world, “long-term” generally means five or ten years. We need to think longer.

The first enemy I want to expose is one we are all tempted to ignore. It is the “more is better” enemy. This enemy has a way of filling our closets and cabinets. It is the enemy that refuses to be content or satisfied. This can create risky investment behaviors.

The Bigger Barn Mentality

People were always coming to Jesus with their agendas and problems. One time a man in the crowd asked for what appeared to be a legitimate request. Here is the account.

“Someone in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ But he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them a parable, saying, ‘The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:13-21

There are several things we can see in this conversation. There is one key statement, however. We ignore this statement to our own harm. Jesus said that anyone who has a focus on gathering up treasure for himself and is not “rich toward God” is a fool. In the Bible, there are two kinds of treasure. There is the treasure we can see and that we think will satisfy. We chase it and pile it up only to watch inflation devalue it, rust and mold destroy it, and then we leave it all behind after 70-80 years of gathering and storing. You see, the rich fool’s “many years” are not really all that many.

Asking the Right Question

So to kick off this series, the question I ask you to consider is, “Why are you investing?” Perhaps even more importantly, “Are you rich toward God?” There was a king in Israel many years ago. He was very wealthy and could afford anything his heart desired. He talked about his search for meaning and purpose in the book of Ecclesiastes. He concludes that meaning and purpose was not found in his work, his wealth, his projects, or his pleasures. There is a longing for something far better and far greater. One commentator had this to say:

“Solomon demonstrates this truth even in his closing words to his ‘son.’ A sage warning to his son is commonplace in wisdom literature (Prov. 1:8; 2:1; 3:1,11). The father—Solomon—wants to train his son—the crown prince—in wisdom. He tells his son that the words of this book are sufficient and should not be transgressed (Eccl. 12:12). The son does not need to add to or subtract from them, which is a common statement in the Bible on its sufficiency (see Deut. 4:2; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18–19). Solomon throughout Ecclesiastes has done his own study and experiments to find meaning in this cursed world, and he has come back empty. By telling his son that study is wearisome and there is no end to making books, he is pleading with his son not to go off on his own quest for meaning and satisfaction as if he could try something Solomon did not already try.” (1)

Wrong thinking about life is the number one enemy of the investor or non-investor. This wasn’t just Solomon’s struggle and problem. “We have the same problem because we have broken God’s commands and sought satisfaction in things and people other than God.” (1)

What is Rich Toward God?

Perhaps a couple of paragraphs from one of John Piper’s sermons will help. He said the following about “rich toward God” in Luke 12:

“Here’s the key concluding verse that makes the point most clearly (verse 21): “So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” The phrase “rich toward God” is unusual. What does it mean to be “rich toward God”? The meaning is plain from the contrast: it is the opposite of laying up earthly treasure for yourself. Being rich toward God is the opposite of treating the self as though it were made for things and not for God. Being rich toward God is the opposite of acting as if life consists in the abundance of possessions not in the abundance of knowing God.” (2)

He goes on to say, “Being rich toward God therefore is the heart being drawn toward God as our riches. “Rich toward God” means moving toward God as our riches. “Rich toward God” means counting God greater riches than anything on the earth. “Rich toward God” means using earthly riches to show how much you value God. This is what the prosperous farmer failed to do. And the result was that he was a fool and lost his soul. That is what I meant when I said, Jesus considered money hazardous. It lures us out of love for God. It lures us away from treasuring God.” (2)

One Final Word of Caution

It would be a huge mistake to think that the number one goal is not to see how generous or charitable we can be. Being generous is certainly commendable. The goal is to love God. In order for that to happen we need a heart change. That is only possible by having a relationship with God, based on the work he accomplished as God the Son on Calvary’s cross. We trust him for both this life (however long it might be), and the next life because he died and rose again that we might have abundant life. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Do you have abundant life? What has brought you lasting satisfaction? What will bring you satisfaction after this life is done?

SOURCES:

  1. Daniel L. Akin and Jonathan Akin, Exalting Jesus in Ecclesiastes (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), Eccl. 12:8–14.
  2. John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014) (Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2014).

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.