Investing as Ambassadors
Image by Adam Gonzales
This article was originally published here.
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“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20a)
In the same way that the political ambassadors of our day serve as representatives of their home countries while living abroad, we, as followers of Christ, live on the earth as representatives of heaven.
We are here to represent the culture and the values of the kingdom of heaven, and to be a conduit through which God makes His appeal. But can we do that in our investments?
As we mature in the Lord, all areas of our lives increasingly reflect a culture that contrasts sharply with the world around us. Rather than simply seeking returns or trying to gain wealth, our investment choices become a reflection of our understanding of God’s ways and nature.
Motivated by our desire to accurately represent Him and honor Him, a greater level of care is needed to ensure we understand how portfolio profits are derived. Given the popularity in less transparent, fund-style investments, many investors simply don’t know which companies they own. Thus many are unwittingly profiting from industries like tobacco, gambling, or abortion that they would find objectionable and directly at odds with God’s plan for humanity.
As an investor of God’s money, we can apply an “Ambassador Filter” over every investment opportunity by asking myself these questions:
Am I representing Jesus well as His ambassador if I invest His money in this company or fund?
Dose this company honor, serve, and bless people, as members (or potential members) of God’s expansive family?
Do I have enough information to know if this investment would be pleasing to God?