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What is cryptocurrency? Understanding digital assets before making any judgment is the topic of this day. Cryptocurrency is one of those words that now means almost everything to some and almost nothing to some others. For some people, a crypto means just Bitcoin. But then what about Ethereum and XRP? Are they crypto as well? Well that confusion is understandable because cryptocurrency is not just one single thing, it is a broad category of digital assets built on blockchain technology. By the way, I have a more extended explanation of blockchain economy in today's article on the home page. Now going back to today's article. So some are designed to function like money, the cryptocurrency, some are designed to power decentralized applications, while some others are built for transferring wealth or payments. And some are tied tied to real-world assets. Now, so before Christians ask, should I invest in crypto? Well, we need to ask more basic question, and that is, what are we actually talking about? What are we talking about when we say cryptocurrency? The very basics that every reader should know is that a blockchain, blockchain is a shared digital record book, a block, that everyone can see in-chain, but no one can erase. Now, we're entering an era where nations are moving from ignoring Bitcoin to uh stacking it as a strategic asset. As of early 2026, this year, the United States government is the largest holder of uh Bitcoin. They hold over 328,000 of them, followed by countries like China and even some random smaller uh countries like El Salvador and Bhutan. Now, for the US strategic Bitcoin reserve to military theories on cyber deterrence, the world's powers are recognizing that in an age of cyber warfare, a decentralized, unhackable ledger is a matter of national security. In a world of cyber wars and shifting global powers, blockchain technology offers resilience by removing single points of failure. Let me just state here that technology does not remove trust, nor does technology do away with a need for vigilance. Technology introduces a new way of trusting or having uh discernment and vigilance. Now you may have uh trusted a bank or the stock exchange over the years. You may trust the protocol and you may even trust your own ability to secure a wallet. Um you're always trusting something or someone else. Uh and if you don't know these things, you have less freedom to decide for yourself because you're dependent upon others, so-called experts. Uh of course, knowing these things does not necessarily or completely free us from the system itself, uh, because as long as you're functioning within the system, you're always limited by the scope that the powers that may be uh set for themselves. So unless we take ourselves completely off the established economic grid, uh we're not going to be completely free. So uh before we take that drastic of a decision, uh let's understand what we're up against first. Uh today I'll share three major cryptocurrency assets, three very different cryptocurrency assets. And one basic distinction worth knowing is that that there are there's a difference between coins and tokens. So coins are not the same as tokens. And um I I may get a chance to explain this a little bit further, but for today I just want to explain that not every digital asset has the same purpose, structure, or risk. So I'm gonna be explaining to you three things Bitcoin, uh Ethereum, and XRP. Now, first, Bitcoin. Bitcoin is like the digital vault. The mission of Bitcoin is to be a store of value that no government or bank can inflate or freeze. The analogy is this if the US dollar is a paper check, it's paper check, Bitcoin is like a gold bar. You don't usually buy a cup of coffee with a gold bar. You do hold it because the supply is limited. So the key fact is that there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin, and this is therefore hard vault or hard money. Ethereum, on the other hand, is a global infrastructure. The mission of Ethereum is to be a programmable network where people can build apps and contracts, smart contracts without a middleman. The knowledge is that if Bitcoin is gold, Ethereum is like a digital oil or electricity. It is the fuel that runs a massive factory or decentralized applications. The key fact is that Ethereum uses smart contracts to automate automate agreements such as insurance policies or title transfers and whatnot without needing a lawyer or a broker or a bank. So peer-to-peer is made secure and it made possible. XRP is like a high-speed bridge. The mission of XRP is to move massive amounts of money across borders instantly for a fraction of a penny. Um the analogy is this XRP is a high-speed jet. While Bitcoin might take 10 to 60 minutes to settle a transaction, XRP settles in three to five seconds. Um compare that to the traditional banks, which may take days, if not weeks. Um XRP enables people to exchange goods as quickly as we move information uh via email. So as long as somebody has a uh a smartphone and an internet access, um, whether you're in the African uh continent or Asian continent or the United States, uh peer-to-peer you can make transfer of your uh wealth, your goods, uh in an instant without a middleman. Now, uh it doesn't try to replace banks, although traditional banks will will find itself in an awkward position because it'll probably be find finding itself uh useless. Um so XRP while it doesn't try to replace banks, it does make uh upgrades um to uh consumers uh and makes consumers more uh in charge of their own resources. Now let me uh summarize it uh this way. Let me restate it. Investing in Bitcoin is often a bet on digital scarcity, monetary distrust, uh, or the need for a long-term store of value. Investing in Bitcoin is like that. And investing in Ethereum is a bet on the future of decentralized software. Then investing in XRP is a bet on the future of the global payment industry exchange system. In summary, you're buying a digital tool for a specific job. You make money as an investor if that tool becomes more scarce, more useful, or more in demand by the rest of the world. And the US government is poised to pass certain legislations which will certainly have a major impact um in the everyday lives of not only Americans, but also uh people of this world. And Christians who are not of this world but are in this world uh should be informed and be wise about it, and also be uh Christ-centered and uh gospel driven about it um as we uh live um as citizens of God's kingdom. Now let's continue. Now I'm of the opinion that uh it's important for uh the Christians to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, know the content of the gospel, so as we interact with this world and share the good news of the kingdom of Jesus Christ, that we need to know the the gospel. But I I think as we as missionaries, we as the disciples of Jesus Christ, that we should know the world systems as well. Meaning we should know in in what situation that our audience uh reside in, their financial situation, their um the political and socioeconomic situations, for us to uh share uh our knowledge and the resources that God has provided us uh with uh from the the heavenly kingdom. So we're not just simply declaring the message of Jesus Christ in a in a as a knowledge or information, but we as Christians are trying to show the reality of uh the heavenly kingdom, not just the reality, but the superiority of the heavenly kingdom as well. So yeah, I I wouldn't say that what I'm saying is like you know, know yourself and know your enemy, but it's very similar to that, I suppose. Now let me let me move on. So this matters, knowing Jesus Christ and knowing the gospel and knowing um the world, this matters because Christians should not make uh moral or financial judgments based on the so based on the slogans. Crypto is the future is way too simplistic. Crypto is all a scam is also very simplistic. A wise person should ask, What is this? What is it, and what problem is it trying to solve, and who controls it, and what are the risks, and what kind of trust does it require, and etc. And ultimately we should be asking this question what kind of a person am I striving to be? What kind of a person might I become uh as I gain understanding and as I decide to either reject it or to accept it or to use it and etc. You see, money is never merely a tool, it always touches the heart. Cryptocurrency is no exception. Cryptocurrency may be a digital money, but greed uh is not, fear is not. Uh the desire to get rich quickly is not separated by digital or analog. The craving the craving to feel secure apart from God is not necessarily digital or analog. The human heart can turn gold into an idol any day, dollars into an idol, real estate into an idol, and so forth. And so, yeah, even crypto into an idol as well. What is an idol? Idol is something and in anything. It can be a good thing, but it's anything and a uh anything and everything that gives us the purpose of life, the power of life, and the pleasure of life apart from God. Now, the a tool is neutral, it's just a tool, it's not necessarily evil because sinners misuse it. Christians believe in both human depravity and common grace. God allows human creativity, technological development, and economic innovation to serve real human needs. So, technology, the advancement in technology by itself, is not either good or bad. It depends on who uses it and for what purpose. So our task is not never to panic. Our task is discernment as a steward of the kingdom of Christ. Now, the Bible does not mention Bitcoin or Ethereum or XRP, but it does say much about wisdom, money, honesty, contentment, stewardship, and of course the human heart. The Bible teaches us not to answer a matter before we hear it. It teaches us not to be quickly impressed by wealth, it teaches us that gain is not godliness, and that love of money is spiritually dangerous. Therefore, Christians need not be afraid to learn about crypto, but neither should we be so impressed by it merely because it is new. Now we should be asking uh this quite these questions, and that is is this true? And more importantly, is this just righteous? And it is it w is it wise? And always ask this question, what is this doing to my heart? Now in this uh blockchain economy, Christians should not be the loudest specul uh speculators or the most fearful critics. We should be thoughtful disciples, understanding enough to speak truthfully, decide carefully, and follow Jesus faithfully, no matter what, in a world where money itself is being re-imagined. We shouldn't be using the name of Jesus to get rich. If anything, we should be willing to give up all the riches of this world in order to gain the name of Jesus. He is our treasure, he is our security. Philippians three eight says the following Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ, my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. Well, that's it for today. Thanks for joining us. Um I hope it was helpful and you can find uh uh the uh transcript in its entirety on the Jubileecoach.com uh website uh in the life blog section. Uh the next uh reflection will be uh asking the question Should a Christian invest in cryptocurrency? Thinking through risk, stewardship, and motive. May the grace and peace of our loving Lord Jesus Christ be with all those who love the Lord with an undying love. Godspeed