The Ultimate Long-Term View: Investing for Eternity?

Speaker A00:00:00

Have you considered your investments as how they relate to eternity? It's an interesting question, isn't it? Well, just listen to this. And I found this interesting. Abby got these stats for me today.U.S. retirement assets hit $43.4 trillion in the first quarter, 2025. You may be saying, okay, Ralph, what does that mean? Well, here's the thing. That's 34% of household financial assets.And think about that for a second. That's $43 trillion in retirement assets. But let me ask you this, this is a tough question. How much of that will matter in heaven?Yeah, that one will rock your blame, won't it? Consider this. Over 54% of US households have a retirement account. But how many are preparing for more than just retirement?Which leads me to a question from a listener and I love this question.When I got this in Ralph, I spend so much time planning for retirement, but I wonder, how do I make sure my investments matter for eternity, not just this life? Yeah, that question made me think. It makes you think too, doesn't it? Because every dollar invested grows. That's the whole point of investing.That's why We've done this 30 day series. We see how investments grow. We talked about compound and we talked about all the different types of investments. We talked about return.But what about their eternal return? How do we even measure that? Well, I've got some answers on today's show.

Speaker B00:01:31

This is Financially Confident Christian, your daily dose of gospel, grounded insight and faith driven tips to help you break the cycle of financial shame with confidence.

Speaker A00:01:44

Welcome back to the show. I'm Ralph and I started today with a great statistic. Americans hold over $43 trillion in retirement assets. You might be one of those people.I'm one of those people. We work hard, we save and we're planning for the future. Those are all great things.But I'm going to challenge you today because as Christians, we know the greatest return isn't just retirement, it's investing for eternity. And listen, this isn't my first rodeo.I've been doing accounting and financial consulting for 30 years and I've always tried to help people see investing from an internal perspective at the center of that. And listen, as a Christian, I've had to challenge myself and I've learned this very difficult truth.True wealth is measured in impact, not in account balances.When you pass on from this life, nobody's going to look back and say, oh, Ralph had a big account balance or Ralph had a big retirement account or Ralph had this car and that car and this vacation, no, they're not going to remember that. And I remember a friend of mine, I was talking with a friend who was laser focused on retirement savings. They really understand.He understood what it was like to save for that. But I'll never forget one day he called me on the weekend and he said, ralph, I'm thinking about this retirement.I'm just wondering, what do I do with this? See, he saw that his portfolio was growing, but he was wondering, what joy is that? And he thought about, maybe I'll take a missionary trip.And when he did that, let me just tell you right now, that changed his life forever. That's how we grow. Eternal impact. And I love this quote from C T Stud. It's sort of a poem, if you will. Only one life twill soon be passed.Only what's done for Christ will last. Now that's impactful, isn't it? I want to say this one more time. Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for Christ will last.So now you're asking me the same question. I'm asking you, how do we have this eternal view?Well, let's jump right into scripture, because we got to start there because scripture has to ground us. For this discussion, let's go to the Book of Matthew, chapter 6, verses 19 and 20, a very common verse.Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and vermin destroyed and where thieves break in and steal. But store for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. Now, it goes on.I didn't put it here in today's show because that's where your heart is, where your treasure is. So now I want to give you three ways to invest for eternity. See, this isn't about just retirement. This isn't about comfort.But it's for impact that lasts forever. So here's the first thing you've got to do. You got to value people over portfolios.So many people get hung up on the numbers, they'll come in and they'll meet with me. Ralph, I've got so many hundred thousand in my savings account, I got this much in my retirement. That's great. Well, how does that impact your heart?See, it's not just about the numbers. It's about the names on your heart. Ask yourself this, who can my resources bless directly? So you can talk about building a retirement plan.You can talk about doing all those things. But how can your resources bless somebody directly? Maybe it's helping a struggling Family with growth. Do you ever think about that?That has an eternal impact. Maybe it's paying for a child's school supplies. Hey, maybe it's hosting a meal for someone who feels forgotten.There are so many people right now that feel forgotten. So I want to start there. When you prioritize people, portfolios become stories of change lives. I'm going to encourage you to do that.Second thing, mission over margin. Margin isn't bad. Margin's a good thing. We talk about investments. Margin's a positive thing. But mission gives your money a higher calling.Do you want a higher calling for your money? I know I do. So choose a mission beyond that comfort. Hey, this is one of the things you can consider. I've never even considered this before.I was working on today's show. Fund a Bible translation.There are people out there now trying to translate the Bible into many languages of people who still haven't heard the good word of God's good news. Hey, maybe support a missionary. That's an opportunity for you to reach people that you may never meet.That could be hugely impactful and maybe for you. You want to do something locally. Fund a soup kitchen. Find a local outreach that works for you.And hey, if you're a business owner listening, set aside a percentage of your profits. Not for your future, but for kingdom work. Because I want you to hear this, and I want you to hear this loud and clear.Your bottom line doesn't just measure dollars. It measures disciples. Number three. This one's going to bite a little bit. This one stepped on my own toes. Seeds over stuff. Hey, here's the truth.Stuff breaks. It just does. That stuff, that shiny things. Oh, that. That's great. But guess what? It's going to break.The enjoyment that you have from that is going to fade. But think about seeds. What do seeds do? My grandfather taught me this lesson in his garden. We can use that now. Seeds grow.So before upgrading that phone or your new car, ask yourself this. Could this money plant seeds for eternity instead? Yeah, that's a challenging question even, isn't it? Because even small gifts. Think about this.Just $25 a month can feed the hungry, can spread the gospel. And hey, when you're gone, that legacy fund can keep planting seeds. You'll never see this side of heaven. Because here's the truth.Seeds multiply in the harvests. As my wife always reminds me, Ralph, stuff just takes up space. So plant those seeds today. How about we pray together?Father, we just thank you for the opportunity to look at investments from an eternal perspective. We ask you to help us find perspective, to value these eternal returns over the earthly ones.Lord, it's so easy for us to get stuck in our returns and how much we have saved, Lord. But challenge us, help us to see the eternal impact of these things.Show us where we can invest in people and not prosperity things, but just in your kingdom, Lord.And give us freedom from fear of losing earthly wealth in exchange for the things that matter and the things that are going to matter when we're gone from this. Lord, we ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. All right, well, here's your action step for today.I want you to invest in attorney just one way this month. Just pick one thing. It could be giving to a mission. It could be helping somebody in need or hey, even volunteering your time.See, it doesn't take money. That's a lot of people get hung up on this. It doesn't have to be money. It can be your time.It can be reaching out to somebody who just needs some encouragement. And I'm going to tell you right now, write it down. I believe what gets measured gets done.So try moving just $1 or one hour of your time from your retirement savings to this cause. And as you check your investments, ask yourself this and hey, this is a tough one. What story will this account tell in eternity about my choices?See, eternity is the greatest return on your investments. We can talk about return on investments. We can talk about how much you're earning in the market.But listen, eternity, that eternal return, is the greatest return you'll ever see. And with God's wisdom and prayer and thoughtfulness, you can build wealth that truly lasts.So I want to encourage you today, go be a financially confident Christian. Stay financially savvy. God bless you. And you have a great day today.