The man speaking on the early morning news show said the same thing I’ve always heard about investing for the future: You have to be in it for the long haul. Here’s why: If you don’t have the guts, the fortitude, to ride out all the ups and downs, bumps and dips, wild fluctuations and swings of the stock market, you’ll be tempted to pull out long before you ever see the returns you sought. In order to even have a chance to succeed, you cannot bail at the first crisis that comes along in the economy. You have to have faith in the long-term effectiveness of the market.

We can argue about the actual benefits of the stock market. To me, it almost seems like Monopoly money. Is the money you’ve put in it really yours, when you don’t actually have access to it yet? If you make the right moves at the right time, sure, you can “make a killing” in the market. Just ask any inside trader! But what if you make a wrong move? What if an unscrupulous broker swindles you? Well, then, you can lose your shirt!

This isn’t the place to debate the pros and cons of the stock market. If you want to read about that, there are probably hundreds of books out there on the subject. A classic written by Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball) is being re-released this month. It’s called Liar’s Poker. Maybe the name sums it up reasonably well?

Anyway, whether we approve of the stock market or not, we have to agree on one thing. If you choose to invest there, you have to be willing to take the good with the bad and live with a whole lot of uncertainty until the day you cash in on the rewards. You are not guaranteed a straight and carefree road to your goal. In fact, that’s not even a possibility. Warren Buffett lost two million dollars on investments just the other day. And if it can happen to him …

Having a stomach for the ups and downs of life is something we need as followers of Jesus as well. We might think when we give our lives to Him at some low point that He’ll be our ticket to success. He will take us higher and higher, not necessarily in terms of financial success but certainly in personal satisfaction. We hear about the glorious side benefits of knowing Him – the peace, joy, love, and fulfillment — and we’re eager to sign on as His disciple. Little do we know at the beginning what a tumultuous journey we may have ahead of us!

Jesus told His first disciples that they could expect tribulation (a.k.a. trouble), but not to be worried about that (John 16:33). One of those disciples, Peter, wrote in his letter to the churches (obviously he’d experienced the truth of Jesus’ warning): “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). He encourages them to rejoice in the fact that they have been called to suffer right along with their Savior. Peter knew that suffering was just one of the downward swings of the gospel that would not affect its ultimate return.

Yes, we do have joy and peace, love and fulfillment as we follow Him, but we also have persecution and trouble of all kinds – failing health, family discord, financial bottlenecks, challenging people to deal with on the job and in the neighborhood, betrayals, disappointments, and disinterest among the very people we love and trust the most. The list could go on and on. None of us are exempt. We have to develop the stomach to stay in for the long haul and not bail at the first crisis that arises in our walk with God.

While both require patience and perseverance, the stock market and the kingdom of God are totally different, of course. I’m sure you’re already aware of the glaring differences that make all the difference. Those who follow Jesus are the recipients of rock solid, sure promises that will come to pass. There’s absolutely no chance He will fail in seeing them fulfilled. We will not lose our shirts or be subjected to ruin if we invest in a relationship with Him. The Bible is abundantly clear on that. And the lives of so many martyrs and faith-filled disciples testify to the truth that He is worth holding on to, no matter what it costs in the short run. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

I’ve met people who point back to some great disappointment that turned them away from their initial trust in Jesus. Somehow, this particular loss seemed too great to bear and they conclude that either God doesn’t love them or He’s not powerful enough to prevent bad things from happening. In either case, their conclusion seems to be that He’s no longer worthy of being trusted and followed. So, like some investors in the last financial crisis, they decide to pull all their stock out of the market (the kingdom of God) lest they lose even more.

When the last financial crisis occurred, the analysts told us to stay on course. They urged us to not get rattled by the plunges and setbacks. But for some, fear and anxiety took over and they cashed everything out at a tremendous loss. This is an understandable reaction, but it’s not a smart one. It’s never a good idea to let our negative emotions drive our actions in a crisis.

This principle is even truer in the spiritual realm, for we have so much more to lose than mere money. If we, out of anger or disappointment or fear, decide we’ll go it alone and turn our backs on the only One who can deliver on the promise of eternal life through His death and resurrection, we risk losing the only thing that really matters eternally – our souls. As Jesus pointed out in Matthew 16:26, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

In our neighborhood Bible study this fall we have been looking at heaven as described in the last two chapters of Revelation. If we ever needed an added incentive to throw our complete confidence on Jesus Christ, that passage of Scripture gives us plenty of reasons to stay the course. We will yet see an incredible, out-of-this-world return on all we’ve done with His help for the Kingdom. It will be worth it all, no matter how much it may cost us in the short-term. As the old hymn by Esther Rusthoi, written in 1941, says,

“It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ.

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase. So bravely run the race till we see Christ.”

Are you FULLY  invested in the kingdom of God? Are you willing to ride out all the bumps and surprises, twists and turns along the way, no matter how scary it may feel? Are your eyes fixed on eternal things or on the short-term gains of this present age? The apostle Paul went through incredible hardship and disappointments following his conversion, including beatings, floggings, stonings, hunger, imprisonment, shipwreck, and betrayal by false brethren. But he didn’t let any of the troubles he faced sway him. He was wholeheartedly devoted to Jesus and fully invested in His kingdom. He urges us to adopt the same steadfast resolve to stay the course for the long haul. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is NOT in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

“Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ … contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer with him” (Philippians 1:27-29).

Right now we serve and follow Him by faith. We are asked to invest in something we can’t touch or see. It’s natural to question at times whether we’re really on the right path to spiritual gain, especially when we are experiencing so many setbacks and sorrows. Without the Word of God to guide us and without the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and other Christians to encourage us, we’d all quit. But our wise and merciful God gave them to us so we would be able to “walk by faith, not by sight.” “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35).

A contemporary song written by Matt and Beth Redman entitled “Never Let Go” is a good reminder of why it’s important to hang on to Jesus throughout the ups and downs of this faith walk. Here are some of the lyrics from that song:

“Even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life I won’t turn back, I know you are near. And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me. And if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?

“Oh, no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm. Oh, no, you never let go, in every high and every low. Oh, no, you never let go, Lord, you never let go of me.

“And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on, a glorious light beyond all compare. And there will be an end to these troubles, but until that day comes, we’ll live to know you here on the earth. And I will fear no evil, for my God is with me, and if my God is with me, whom then shall I fear? Whom then shall I fear?

“Oh, no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm, Oh, no, you never let go in every high and every low. Oh, no, you never let go, Lord, you never let go of me.”

And knowing that is how we stay in for the long haul.