The greatest principle in investing is to persist for the long-haul.

People get burnt when they try to second-guess markets, out-play other investors or overreact to either rising or falling trends.

A friend trades in CFD’s, a contract for betting on a rising or falling share price. He has great tools and needs only to follow their cues.

Guess why such contracts exist? Few investors can ever disinvest from their emotions and take a cold, dispassionate view of markets.

Those most successful at CFD investing are either stupid or able to shut out all reason and press the button when told to.

Its a powerful metaphor for all investing. The best investors are able to set aside emotions and stick with principle for the long-term.

Those who don’t, tend to sell when prices have fallen or buy when prices have already peaked, and, as such, they lose and lose again.

But the patient, while making small gains in bad years, also make enough in good years to compensate for the bad years.

There is a divine principle here.

Kingdom life is a long-term investment. Few win off a short-game, and fewer yet sustain their wins off short-games.

Serving God is, to many, a lost cause or the pursuit of fools. Its like Noah trying to build an ark – foolish in the eyes of this world.

But the dividends pay out over the long-term. As a long-term investor foregoes short term purchases for long-term gains ...

... so the believer that holds to an eternal perspective and adjusts his line or pace for that end game, will win in the end.

But investing is always a sacrifice.

Sure it is. Its about opportunity cost. What did you give up to gain the deferred benefit into which you chose to invest?

Well, everything about our faith has a deferred benefit. There are shorter term gains, many, but the ultimate gain is eternal ...

... yet to live for eternity can be irrelevant. I prefer to invest in what I trust God for and to devote my life and energy to such causes.

They consume my life over things of greater value than material rewards, as in the pursuit of significance not importance.

We will never be fulfilled by material gain, but by the legacies we leave behind, the memorials we set in the hearts of our children and imprints we leave on this world.

No one on his death-bed ever said, "if only I had invested more", but most regret time snot spent with their families. 

So invest, sure, but rather invest yourself and be in this race for the long-haul, like a distance runner. 

Don’t beat the air or drift from your goal, but set your eyes on your goal and trust God (1 Corinthians 9). 

(c) Peter Missing @ me2u2all.blogspot.com