Buffet did not begin his speech with insight into stock and mutual fund investing. He did not begin his speech talking about the importance of corporate governance and its effect on the business world. He began his speech, after making some opening comments, with this statement: “God gave you one mind and one body, make sure you don’t ruin either one.” He proceeded to speak about the importance of how we treat our mind and body, and how that relates to everything else in life. Buffett claimed that the compounding capabilities of the mind far exceed that of the dollar. He said that the one who invests time in himself will always go away with more than what he started with. This statement is far from the truth when talking about investing in the dollar. As important as money and investing is to Warren Buffett, he understands that the mind and body that God gave him is of much greater value then all his millions.

Buffett remains one of the most respected stock and bond valuation experts in the world, but his message that day was on his valuation of life. Paul tells us in Rom 12:17, “…Respect what is right in the sight of all men.” I respected Warren Buffett for saying what he said. Even if he did not derive his opinion of the value of life directly from the Bible, his words were in line with Biblical principles.

Buffett touched on two undeniable truths in his speech. First, What God gave us is all we are going to get. Second, what God gave us is of the highest quality. Do not waste what God gave you. We were given one mind, one body, and one life to live. We only have one chance at life on this earth. Heb 9:27 tells us, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Once you take your last breath, the history of your life will be recorded and your fate will be sealed. Understanding this fact should compel us to “set our minds on things above, and not on things on the earth.” We should earnestly strive to glorify God in our bodies, as Paul encouraged the Christians in Corinth to do. We should awake each morning prepared for it to be our last. James tells us that life is but a vapor, and soon it will vanish away. We do not have time in this life to “do it my way.” It is not our mind to ruin with drugs and alcohol, or our body to defile with sexually immoral behavior. We are God’s. We are to present ourselves as instruments of righteousness to God (Rom 6:13).

Second, we are made in the image of God. We are the highest quality of creature on this earth. We have the ability to reason, and make our own decisions. We are moral creatures who can choose to do what is wrong or right. Our Creator has made each of us exactly how he intended to. Solomon tells us that God “…made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts.” We should not degrade our level of significance. Each person has some kind of ability. Romans 12:5-6 says, “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them…”

What God gave us is all we are going to get. What God gave us is of the highest quality. Let us be careful not to mistreat what we have been given. Let us be careful to use what talents and abilities we have been given for God’s glory.