By: Sister Tarpley, NDG Editor
“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4). It’s rewarding to get a good return on an investment.
In business we invest money, time, and people resources into promoting a product and service in hopes of a return. We make financial investments in hopes we can gain a return on our money invested.
The apostle Paul understood another kind of investment. It was an investment in the spiritual lives of people. Paul invested his life in a man named Epaphras, who was a man deeply impacted by Paul’s investment in him.
He makes reference to Epaphras when writing to the Colossians: “You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit” (Colossians 1:7-8). It can be very rewarding to invest in other people’s lives.
The story is told of a day a man that received this note from a friend into whom he had made an investment: “You have had a tremendous influence on my life. For that, I will be forever grateful and love you as well.”
Sometimes we don’t realize the difference we can make in another life. For us, it can seem a natural way of operating. We may not even think we are doing anything unusual. Until one day, you receive a note like this one.
In the marketplace we can often get very focused on the projects we are called to promote and gain a return on. However, we each need to be making an investment in other people as well.
Are you investing in lives that may be in your sphere of influence through your workplace call? The returns on this investment are considerable.
Ask God to help you get wisdom in how to deal with difficult people. Ask for help to understand why they are being difficult. See if it is a personal problem? Are they experiencing something that has them irritable? Have they been abused or betrayed by someone?
Do they have physical or mental health problems? What can you say or do to help the situation? Ask for help to speak and act in the way that will show your love in action.
Ask for help to be the example and to do what is right, in whatever circumstance arises. Ask God to anoint you, to give you strength, to give you words to say–or keep you from saying things that you should not.
Ask God to work through you to defuse the situations and bring peace to all. Pray that the outcome will be God’s will. Thank God for His power and presence in your life…and in facing the challenges to come.
Ask in the name of Jesus Christ and our Savior.
