People are always looking for great investment opportunities, so I thought I would pass along one of the very best secrets with the greatest potential for return on your time and effort that has ever been known to man. Furthermore, since this "strategy" for gain comes from the very Word of God, I can give it without hesitation. Are you ready? Here it is:

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 

Be kind to one another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32, ESV

"Wait a minute", you might be thinking, "this isn't investment advice. I have been tricked!" But the fact is, you haven't been tricked at all, for this piece of advice truly does have the capacity for giving you one of the highest rates of return ever known to man. When God commands us to "be kind to one another", He is giving us a gift that will yield perpetual returns if we will just let it. But I must warn you, to get these types of returns you are going to have to put in a great deal more than most are willing to give.

We live during a time when it seems we can speak freely. We have the anonymity of social media, wherein we can pretty much say whatever we wish, no matter how harsh, whenever we like. So, people can expend all of the bitterness and wrath and anger and slander that they want without having to suffer the immediate repercussions for having done so. After a while, we can become so accustomed to spreading this type of vile hatefulness that we eventually drop the anonymous comments and let everyone know what we think without caring a whit for the consequences.

And the beauty of this is that it takes very little though and almost no effort at all because saying the first thing that comes to mind is easy. The problem is that it is also a pretty mean way to live. By "venting" our wrath on one another, we eventually will poison even the closest and most dear of our relationships. We will hurt people and cause their lives to be more bitter and filled with less joy. While it might be immediately satisfying to lash out in any way we choose, the long-term results can be far more damaging than we could have ever imagined. Some people, so damaged by the hurtful comments of others, have even resorted to suicide just to escape the hurt that has been caused them.

On the other hand, kindness takes effort. Being tenderhearted towards each other to the point that we will overlook any slights and offenses is hard, but the dividends it pays are beyond anything that we can imagine. Taking the time to consider how we might build one another up is not always convenient, but it is always worth the extra consideration that it takes. When we can look at things through the other person's eyes and sympathize with what they are going through, then we will want to take that little bit of time to figure out ways to encourage them and make their day a little better for having been in our presence.

Being kind does take great effort, and it does not always show immediate results. But, like a prudent investment of something as inconsequential as our money, these continual expenditures of kindness will eventually reap huge rewards. We will find that people will actually like being around us, for it makes them feel good to be around someone who always treats them well. We will discover that most people long to repay others for the kindness shown to them, so they will be most kind to us in return.

In addition to that, we will find that our world becomes a more beautiful place to live. For a person who sows flower seeds instead of weeds will eventually be surrounded by a beauty that can scarcely be imagined. Yes, kindness truly is one of the best investments that we can ever make. And in the end, the dividends that it will pay is eternal. After all, if you cannot lose your reward for giving even a cup of cold water to a little one because he is the Lord's disciple, just imagine the benefits you will reap if you have a daily habit of being kind and tenderhearted and forgiving to everyone you come in contact with!