Show notes

Today we explore insights into how 'power laws', often applied to investing in companies, are also applicable to personal virtues. Josh encourages investing one's time, action, and energy into cultivating virtues such as honesty, courage, love, and service. Comparing the virtues' growth to a company's growth over time, Josh suggests that the returns may not be immediately obvious but will yield significant results in the long run. You are invited to surrender to God, equating this to the ultimate investment. This analogy is reinforced with biblical quotes from Matthew 13 and the idea of virtue as a hidden treasure. Finally, the listener is invited to reflect on their own path to virtue and areas they need to address.

00:00 Introduction to Power Laws of Virtue

00:05 Investing in Companies and Power Laws

00:41 Applying Power Laws to Virtues

01:11 Investing in Virtue: A Comparison with Company Investment

01:42 The Power of Law Growth of Virtue

02:25 The Importance of Virtues in Life

02:43 Biblical References to Virtue and Investment

04:00 Reflection Questions on Virtue and Investment

04:28 Conclusion: Entrust Yourself to God

About Josh Kalsbeek, LMFT

• As a Psychoherapist I help people overcome their greatest struggles.

•Founder and CEO of Great Oaks Collective, and it's flagship program Overcome, a 10-Week virtual Intensive Outpatient Program for Christian couples experiencing sexual betrayal and addiction. www.greatoakscollective.com. 

• Sign up to receive my weekly email newsletter, Words of Wisdom. ​

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Links

Jesus, ​Matthew 13:45-46​

Jean Calvin, ​Institutes of the Christian Religion​

Who are you becoming?

Strongholds​

In case you missed it, if you're hoping to live a more purpose-filled life, I have a 10 post series on ​Meaningful Action​. Click the link and I'll send an email each day for the next 10 days.

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Support the podcast

Words of wisdom one 12 on the power laws of virtue.

2

Investing in companies

is about power laws.

3

You must be patient and invest

only in a single company.

4

A huge commitment with significant

capital, and then wait.

5

Let's say you make five or 15

or 150 investments, only one

6

or two bets really matter.

7

The ones that experience 10 x or a hundred

x growth over the course of decades, the

8

vast majority of the wealth made comes

from one to a handful of investments.

9

Your virtues are about power laws.

10

If you invest your time and commit your

actions into the right handful of virtues,

11

you get a shockingly outsized return.

12

But it is not immediately obvious

that what you do today to grow.

13

In honesty, courage, love, or service will

pay off in a decade, let alone tomorrow.

14

It often costs you dearly.

15

It's only in taking these

actions consistently.

16

From a place of purity and with the

hindsight of time that you can really

17

see if becoming virtuous will pay

off Investing into a company you

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could say is all about investing in

the people who build the company.

19

You're putting a huge sum of money,

which is stored energy into what someone

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else wants, the company they built

that you hope will generate massive

21

amounts of value or energy over time.

22

Experiencing the power of law,

growth of virtue is like that.

23

You invest not in what you selfishly

want now, but in what God wants.

24

You commit your will in your life, a

significant amount of your own energy

25

into following and worshiping God.

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The more you do, the bigger the returns.

27

The real trick is to invest everything

you have, surrender it all to

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the gamble of following Jesus.

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There is no hedging your bets here.

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Go all in.

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Model your life after Jesus

become his apprentice.

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Seek to grow in virtue by abiding in Him.

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Virtues are so significant

because everything good in your

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life depends on your character.

35

If you don't invest in growing in

virtue, eventually it catches up to you.

36

You might gain the whole world,

but lose your soul quotes.

37

The kingdom of heaven is like

treasure hidden in a field which

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a man found and covered up.

39

Then in his joy, he goes and sells

all that he has and buys that field.

40

Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a

merchant in search of fine pearls, who

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on finding one pearl of great value, went

and sold all that he had and bought it.

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Jesus in Matthew 13 versus 45 through 46.

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For what is more consistent with

faith than to acknowledge ourselves

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naked of all virtue that we may be

clothed by God, empty of all good,

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that we may be filled by him slaves

to sin, that we may be liberated by

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him blind, that we may be enlightened

by him laying that we may be guided

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weak, that we may be supported by him

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to divest ourselves of all ground of

glory in that he alone may be eminently

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glorious and that we may glory in

Him by John Calvin in his book,

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institutes of the Christian Religion,

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Questions, Who are you becoming?

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Are you on a path to growing in virtue?

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What is one small area you

are compromising in that

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you can address today?

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What stronghold do you need to

surrender or re-surrender to God?

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Use these questions as journal prompts

or prayers for this week, Endnote.

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Entrust yourself to God today.

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It's the best investment

you could ever make.

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Live wisely Josh.