ROI

Malachi 3:7

7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts.

In the business world, return on investment (ROI) or return on costs is a ratio between net income and investment. A high ROI means the investment's gains compare favorably to its cost. As a performance measure, ROI is used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or to compare the efficiencies of several different investments.

Think about a 401k or Roth IRA. These are stock based investments one would set up for a retirement plan. The initial investment a person makes is expected to yield a certain return or increase on that investment so that it will provide a retirement fund that will yield years of income. For if nothing is gained from the investment then what's the point of investing in the first place?

If we look to the church - that is the body of believers gathered together for worship - how much of each person is truly invested in the church? This is not about money, or tithing or anything that tangible. This is about the heart of the believer.

Many come each week to attend a worship service, but don't worship in true sense of honoring and praising God. If they do, their worship is weak and frail. Some are watching the clock to see how long the preacher is preaching, or deciding where they are going to have lunch, or concerned they might miss the kick-off at the football game.

If we fail to fully invest ourselves, in mind, body and spirit - that is to truly and sincerely love God first with all our heart - then we will surely fail to see any return on that investment. Jesus purchased each and every man, woman and child with His own blood, to forgive us our sins and preserve us for all eternity.

If God went through the trouble of putting His own Son, who was innocent and gave His all, on cross to die for us, wouldn't it stand to reason that we ought to live a life that reflects that kind of love and sacrificial worship more than just a Sunday morning?

Our ROI is dependent on what we do today for Christ. Are we fully invested in the gospel, and are we truly offering ourselves as living sacrifices each day? This will only make sense to those of you who are saved and born-again.

To those who are not born-again, I urge and implore you to reconsider. Are you investing into only worldly things that do not have eternal benefits, but only eternal judgment? The time is now. The interest rate on your return of investment is higher than any stock market or fund can offer.