You and I make investments everyday. Some people have money go straight from their paycheck into a 401k or some other retirement plan. Others choose to use their funds to invest in other works, local charities, missions or ministries. Other people choose to just invest in themselves, and their impact is limited to their own lives and practices. However you slice it, everyone is making investments, conscious decisions to give toward some effort every day. The investments we choose speak directly toward what we believe and value in this life.

Jesus modeled this life of investing for us, and we can see how it played out on several levels. He invested in the crowds. He dedicated His daily ministry mostly to large groups of people. He would preach on hillsides, down by the sea, sitting at a house in a village somewhere, or maybe out by a well. He saw groups as valuable collections of individually valuable people. He gave whole days away to them, healing, teaching, encouraging and bringing glory to the Father with this investment.

We also See Jesus investing in a larger small group. He is often seen spending more intimate time with the 12 disciples and the faithful group of women that travelled with Him. There were debriefs that took place after these crowd-facing events. They discussed the day, looked more deeply into the lessons He taught, and probing questions were asked. He was invested in seeing them grow as leaders. He wanted them to become next-step aware, looking for what God might do next within them or what the deeper idea was for the day’s activities. Jesus poured into this group, bringing them deeper, investing in the community they built together.

Finally, we see Jesus investing in three guys, Peter, James and John. One older guy and His own cousins, a friend and some extended family. This is where His deepest investments came though. When it was time for specific prayer, a bigger concept or a next-level responsibility, this is where Jesus locked in and made the time to see growth happen.

He let them know there was an expectation that came with this investment, and that the rewards may not be what they were thinking…but the investment was going to run in both directions.

Matthew 8:18-20
“When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

As we make our investments in this season of life, let’s be mindful of those different opportunities that utilize our own giftings in many different ways. Find your crowd, your small group and your inner circle and show them the same attention that Jesus has given to you.