2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Yesterday I mentioned a return on investment for placing your faith in Christ. With any account on deposit you want to have some way of checking that account for growth or ROI. It is the very same way in putting you faith in Christ, you get to check your investment to see if it has grown.

All you have to do is look within yourself to check your return on investment. What you are looking for is positive growth, a capital gain.  When you place your faith in Christ there is an immediate change.

Matthew 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

What is gained immediately?

John 14:16,26 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

God gives of Himself when you place your faith in Christ. This is a deposit guarantee that insures your investment.

2 Corinthians 1:22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. NIV

Note also the issue of the seal of ownership. This means no one gets to make a withdrawal until the account is fully matured. Nothing gained, can be lost.

And that is just the first promise.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

The subject is salvation. It is said here to be a gift from God. Grace by definition is unmerited favor, once again, a gift. The third component here is faith, grace through faith in Jesus Christ, which was mentioned in the previous verse.

Why is it we do not think of faith as being a gift from God that we did not have until He gave it to us?

1 Corinthians 12:4,9a Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit;

It is identified as a gift here.

Romans 12:3d according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Here we see that God has given each of us faith, even if not by the same measure. So why is it we do not look at faith as a gift from God?

Perhaps that is because God gave us free will to invest this faith where we want.

2 Timothy 1:14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. ESV

If you make an investment of your faith, a deposit, you have an expectation of return on investment.

What do you have faith in? Banks, government, men, institutions, or the lottery? I added the last one as an illustration of how insane it is to place your faith in the wrong thing.

Do you know what your return on investment will be if you invest your faith in Christ? Even if you haven’t, you should know what to expect. Christ has promised specific returns on investment. They are listed in the bible.