And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)
Compound interest is a financial principle that either works in our favor or works against us; it can seem very confusing at first. Wikipedia defines compound interest as the concept of adding accumulated interest back to the principal, so that interest is earned on interest from that moment on.
This works in our favor when we follow healthy models of financial planning and regularly set aside money in a savings account. Interest earned on our savings becomes a part of our savings and earns interest and so on. Returns are small at first, but as the balance grows compound interest begins to make more and more impact. Setting aside money in an account that leverages compound interest is much more beneficial in the long run than saving in jars or under the mattress.
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul’s instruction to Timothy works a bit like compound interest. Teaching one person to teach another person, and so on, begins to yield a higher rate of followers of Christ impacting their world than does one person teaching a few. As Christians, our goal is to see a sort of compound discipleship occur as we learn and grow and use that learning and growth to lead others to learn and grow. It may not seem like much at first, but the multiplication of disciples has far greater impact as time goes by.
Today, ask yourself who you are learning from and how you can teach others around you. We all have a part to play in spreading the love of Christ, learning and growing in Him. Ask God to place reliable men in your life to increase your impact and bring the principle of compound interest alive in your Christian walk.
Posted on
Fri, July 3, 2009
by -
filed under