Most people either have a retirement plan or know what a retirement plan is. Perhaps it’s a pension, or maybe it falls into the tax code’s 401(k). For those who don’t know, it’s where you get to deduct money from your wages or salary (pretax), and get access to it when you reach a certain age. Some employers kick in some kind of matching funds to a degree.
One reason behind the idea is to potentially put a person into a lower tax bracket, and the money they miss out on will be offset a bit by having what’s left taxed at a lower rate.
Another concept is that when a person retires their income will be lower, and the money they take out (it becomes a taxable distribution at that point) will have an even LOWER tax rate. Some people even have employers who give them the option for a Roth 401(k). That system contributes POST-tax dollars (you don’t get the lower tax rate up front), but all the earnings on that money are accumulated tax free. You pay the taxes on the investment, but the earnings are ALL yours.
God has a retirement plan, too. You invest in spiritual funds, and when you retire from this life you get all the rewards. That simple. Deferred compensation, just like a 401(k).
The trick is you have to invest. It’s not an automatic reward – and the more you invest the greater retirement you’ll have in Heaven. But there’s another trick, too.
If you pat yourself on the back and brag about it to your friends, you’ve spent your spiritual investment and it’s not tucked away for later. Your reward comes from the adulation of those friends, and you get no interest on that investment. You can earn ten spiritual dollars, but telling your friends means you didn’t invest it.
Don’t get me wrong, you can still “make it” to Heaven as long as you opened the account with Jesus. If you only invest a spiritual dollar or two across your life, your retirement (while it beats the alternative) won’t be as impressive as it could have been.
I urge you open your Heavenly 401(k), and invest heavily. You’ll feel better about yourself while you’re here, the rewards later are even more impressive.
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