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A stock market trader is somebody who makes trading decisions minute-by-minute. He is hoping to reap profits measured in fractions of a dollar. A trader is a wheeler and dealer looking for short-term profits. He may not even have confidence in the stock. He is just looking for a quick payoff. By contrast, an investor places money in companies they trust for the long haul. They ignore ups-and-downs in the market. They believe that the company in which they invest eventually will bring great rewards. In the kingdom of God, there are traders and investors. Traders are those people looking for a quick reward from God. If their lot does not improve in the short term, or if life gets painful, they may back away. But investors in the kingdom stay true to Christ no matter what happens in the world. They are like the Apostle Paul. As he neared the end of his life here on earth, he wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith. He urged Timothy to remain true to Christ despite the difficulties he would face. He wrote in 2 Timothy 1, “Never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me. Even though I am suffering here in prison, I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” Like the Apostle Paul, we should be long-term investors in Christ’s kingdom.
