I became fully aware of the value of investment over a year ago when I visited a minister of the gospel in another city. As we drove to his house, he showed me where his family church is situated and then he shared a  story with me.

When that area was in the woods with low population, they priced a plot of land costing three hundred thousand naira as at then. The church refused to buy it because it was not a prime location. Within the space of five years, some industries built their production plants there and that changed the story of that area.

What his church refused to buy for three hundred thousand when it was in the woods, they had to raise tens of millions to purchase land in the same area they once rejected. At the time we drove through that area, a plot was four hundred million naira as I was told.

That story changed something in me. It brought a radical shift in my thinking. If a low income earner with a good sense of investment had bought a plot of land for three hundred thousand naira in that area, in the space of five years, he could have become a multi millionaire cheaply. Those who did will be smiling to the bank now but the ignoramuses will accuse them of money rituals or fraud whereas it is pure money.

The wealth of the wealthy will keep increasing because they understand these things. I am not here to preach the gospel of real estate investment to you but I want to point your attention to the value of investment as against savings. The wealthy don't save money, they invest it. They know how to buy tomorrow today.

In an unstable economy where there is inflation, monies kept in the bank will lose value because its power to purchase will reduce due to the rising cost of commodities. What the wealthy do is to put that money into an investment that appreciates with time. Wealthy people are patient.  

The man that was given a talent buried it instead of investing it to get more( Mt 25:14-30). At every given point in our lives, there are opportunities for investment, do not bury it like that man did. I noticed God won't do this for you because he has given you your own talent for investment. Do not say "I don't have". You have something that you can invest.

It should be noted that this counsel has nothing to do with whether you know how to do business or not. It is about making wise decisions with money. You don't need to be a business man to do that. Investment is not the same as doing business. It is simply making your money work for you while you face other important task.

This counsel doesn't exclude preachers. I have met retired pastors lamenting bitterly about neglect.  Being in ministry shouldn't make you neglect your finances.  It is unwise to plan your financial life on what the church offer. You have to make intentional decisions about your future regardless of what the church is planning for you. You may retire and be sidelined or forgotten. Think.

Tomorrow is only secured for those who know how to sell their today to buy their tomorrow. That is exactly what investment is, selling today to buy tomorrow. Jacob bought the future but Esau ate it. Where do you belong?