Good for him! I'm glad he was lucky enough to get a big gain out of that investment. But it could have, and more often than not it does, had a very detrimental effect on his portfolio. You see, investments like that, although they can provide a short term gain, often end in a long term loss. There is a tremendous amount of risk in those types of investments. People who see gains from them receive those gains more often from luck than they do from any skill or knowledge of the market. So, I, as your advisor, do not recommend you put any money into these high risk investments. Rather, I recommend a long term investment strategy that may not have high short term gains, but in the end will provide a more steady revenue growth.My clients would listen to me and my advice, and most of them would agree with me. However, sometimes, I would have a client insist that I buy some of this investment for him. I would tell him that I work for him and I will do what he instructs me to do with his money. I would also be firm with him about the fact that I do not recommend what he is asking me to do. I would tell him that I just don't see it as a wise investment.
How do we invest our life, our time and our energy? Do we make decisions that provide us a short term gain? For example, are our decisions based on lust, pride, envy, or gluttony? There is a very attractive short term gain to these decisions. They fulfill carnal desires and puff up our self-esteem. But, what is the long term gain from making decisions based on these sins? More often than not, there is none. Rather, the long term effects of sin leads to pain and suffering in this life, and, ultimately, life in hell.
We should make wise investments with our life, investments that have a long term benefit instead of a short term gain. We should be chaste, humble, kind, and temperate. There may be no visible short term gains from living a life of virtue. It is a hard life, one that requires a lot of work. But the rewards are far greater than the short-term gain of sin. The rewards lead to a stronger will, better relationships, and a peace that cannot be matched. The rewards are eternal life.
Christ is recommending to us the same thing I recommended to my clients. He is advising us to choose the investments that have a long term gain instead of a short term sense of pleasure and satisfaction. If we choose a life of sin, He won't stop us, but He will tell us that He doesn't see it as a wise investment. He advises a life of virtue. Now that is a wise investment.