If you have walked through Woodland Hills Mall, you have seen the See’s Candies display. Over 200 stores are scattered across the United States along with hundreds of kiosks in airports and malls with their amazing displays of chocolate. The chain was started in the 1920s when a Canadian couple named Charles and Florence See moved to California. Charle’s widowed mother Mary, came along too, toting a handful of treasured candy recipes. The See family opened their first candy store in Los Angeles in Nov. 1921.
The See family sold its business a few years ago, and guess who bought it? No, it wasn’t Nestle or Hershey or Mars Confectionery. It was Warren Buffet and his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate. Buffet paid $25 million for See’s Candies, and since then the return on his investment has topped more than $1.35 billion. Buffet called See’s one of the top investments he ever made.
With all due respect to Warren Buffet, the sweetest investments in the world don’t come in assorted boxes of chocolates, nor in stock portfolios, nor in Wall Street transactions. The best investments we will ever make are in the legacy of a well-invested life.
People are also reading…
While we do need to take care of whatever physical and financial assets the Lord gives us, if we are not investing in eternity, we miss the boat. The Bible talks about investing in both time and eternity — providing a legacy that will outlive us on earth and eternal rewards that will never fade in heaven. This is a win-win with the Lord.
The first eternal investment we should make is in the Word of God. Many people long for more education, but it’s pricey. The cost of education is skyrocketing. Do you know the fastest growing group of college loan debtors? It’s Americans over the age of 60. Education is important, but the most important school is absolutely free: the school of the Bible. The wisest people on earth are those who are students of God’s Word. The time you spend in God’s Word is an investment in both eternal and internal wisdom.
Another step in investing wisely is to invest in the work of God. From God’s perspective, life is defined by serving. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt. 20:28). Think of your time, abilities, experiences, finances, personality, spiritual gifts and personal giftedness that can be used to invest in the Lord’s work. God hasn’t placed us on earth for a few fleeting decades to serve ourselves, but to serve Him and others He brings into our circle of influence.
Probably the greatest investment in our lives is to leave a legacy of faith that will lead others to God. Our days are numbered, and we move quickly from today to tomorrow. All our pleasures and possessions are temporary, but the legacy we leave for Christ will endure forever. Let’s not waste a single day. Living with eternity in mind is the best investment strategy.