A Not So Risky Investment

In 1903, a Detroit lawyer by the name of Horace Rackham had his neighbor ask for his services in drawing up the incorporation papers for his new business. The cost was supposed to be $25, but the cash-strapped client asked if Rackham might be willing to invest in the company instead. Rackham had always been cautious with his finances and leery of the speculative nature of the stock market, but decided to trust in his neighbor. So, Horace went to the Michigan Savings Bank to inquire about a loan so he could buy stock in the client's new company. The bank decided to lend him the money but warned Rackham that it wasn’t sure his investment was sound. The bank president told Rackham, “The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.”

Against that advice, Rackham took out the loan and invested in 100 shares of his neighbor Henry Ford's new business. That choice would work out for him. 18 years later, he would sell that stock for 12.5 million dollars.

It's always good to ask for advice, but we need to be careful because just because someone says something doesn’t mean that thing is so. If we get stuck in the past, we might not be preparing for what the future may hold for us.

Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.

1^st Timothy 6:18-19

This world may seem here to stay, but it isn’t. Instead of keeping our treasures to ourselves, we need to be investing them in good works that will return heavenly investments. A little bit of goodwill now can be worth untold goodness in the future!

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