Watch God Turn Your Losses Into Gains

Watch God Turn Your Losses Into Gains
John R. Petrilli

Loss. It’s an integral part of life. Whether we’re young or old, rich or poor, professional or non-professional, the reality of loss is bound to touch our lives at some point. While the experience of loss is not optional, the way we view and respond to it is.

Certain passages in the Bible open a window into the life of particular individuals. The third chapter of Philippians is just such a passage. There we find a revealing autobiographical sketch of the one person who, humanly speaking, was responsible for most of the planting and instruction of the early church. His name is Paul, and he allows us a glimpse into his past in verses four through nine. After citing accomplishment after wonderful accomplish, He summates his list of pre-conversion achievements by saying, “I count everything sheer LOSS, because all is far outweighed by the GAIN of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I did in fact lose everything. I count [my past achievements] as so much garbage, for the sake of gaining Christ and finding myself incorporate in Him.”

What would cause Paul to make such a surprising statement? How could he suffer the loss of everything he worked for all his life, and be able to honestly say they were now worthless? The answer is found in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ he’d experienced in his life. By way of comparison, all of his pre-Christian accomplishments were equivalent to a pile of dung. Yes, his personal losses were catastrophic, but his spiritual gains far outstripped those losses to the point where they were no longer even a factor in his life.

How, then, can we follow the path of Paul in turning our losses into gains? The secret lies in having the right perspective. God works everything that enters a believer’s life together for His glory and their own benefit (Rom. 8:28). By focusing on the positive outcomes that accompany our losses, we, like Paul, can arrive at the place where we confidently say, “My significant losses have become the doorway to new and even greater gains”.

One of the toughest losses we can experience is the separation from family, friends, and familiar surroundings that comes with a major relocation. A career change, job reassignment, or other consideration often makes it necessary to move away from those we know so well and love so deeply. Then there’s the situation where God calls someone to serve Him in a ministry that involves moving to a new area. This article addresses this particular type of relocation.

In three of the four gospels we find Jesus addressing the concerns of a group of disciples who have left everything to follow Him (Matthew 19:16-30 ; Mark 10:17-31 ; Luke 18:18-30). The disciples had just watched as a wealthy young gentleman chose his bank account over following Jesus. In contrast, we see the disciples who had let go of their worldly assets in order to serve the Master. Acting as spokesman for the group, Peter asks the Lord the “W.I.F.M.” question, “Now that we’ve left everything behind to follow you, What’s In It For Me (us)?” Jesus’ answer holds a wealth of encouragement for those undergoing loss due to voluntary separation for Christian service.
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FIRST, WE SEE THAT NOT FOLLOWING CHRIST EXACTS A HIGHER PRICE THAN FOLLOWING HIM. (Matthew 19:16-22)

“The young man went away sad.” (22)

Many people shrink back from obeying the Lord’s call because they tabulate the cost to them personally, and conclude that the figure is too great. But when the equation is properly calculated, those who decline His call always come out the losers. Take this wealthy young man. He had everything going for him, yet, to his credit, he expressed a genuine concern about his eternal destiny. His entire childhood and adolescence were characterized by a healthy respect for God and His Word. But Jesus did a spiritual MRI on his heart, and detected a severe case of covetousness. The fact was, he not only had riches, but his riches had him. A total release of all his possessions was the only way he could free himself from the love of things material. Unfortunately, he balked at the opportunity to cash in his chips, forfeiting both joy in this life as well as heaven in the life to come. Now that’s what I’d call a major hit in the loss column. One commentator observes that his riches were short lived, as the nation of Israel was overrun by Rome, and Jerusalem itself was reduced to a pile of rubble. Missionary martyr Jim Elliot has wisely observed that, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”. The rich young ruler played the fool, and paid an exacting price.


SECOND, WE SEE THAT FOLLOWING JESUS MAY REQUIRE US TO RELINQUISH MUCH OF WHAT IS NEAR AND DEAR TO US. (Mark 10:24-28)

“Peter said to [Jesus], ‘We’ve left everything and followed You. What do we get out of it?’ ”
(Matthew 19:27, Message)

James and John were in the discipleship group that day. Christ’s calling required them to say farewell to their beloved father (Mark 1:19-20). Separation loss was also felt by Philip and Nathaniel as they moved away the familiar and secure surroundings of their hometown of Bethsaida (John 1:44-51). Years later a budding young man named Timothy would leave the comforts of home and family to join up with Paul’s missionary team (Acts 16:1-5). Peter and his buddies loved to fish, but they opted to retire their nets and go after the really “big fish”, the souls of men. In her excellent book, “The Beloved Disciple”, Beth Moore states, “You don’t necessarily have to leave behind what you do if He proves your present course to be His will, but I assure you He will have you leave the boredom and routine of it behind. When Jesus Christ takes over our lives, things get exciting.” When the decision came down to choosing between loved ones or Christ, this band of budding disciples chose a path that was extremely painful yet totally correct. (Luke 14:26-27).




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THIRD, WE SEE THAT JESUS PROMISES TO REPLACE A RELOCATED DISCIPLE’S LOST RELATIONSHIPS WITH NEW RELATIONSHIPS.

“Jesus said, ‘You won’t regret what you given up. No one who has sacrificed spouse, brothers and sisters, parents, children – whatever – will lose out. It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime.’ “ (Luke 18:29-30, Message)

I recently heard a report from a lifetime missionary from Brazil. She shared how she struggled with answering God’s call to serve as a single, but finally agreed to go. Years later a young woman boarded with her and became like a daughter to her. The boarder eventually married and had children. Now the missionary experiences the joy of being a “grandparent”. God is perfectly aware of our needs, be they physical, emotional, social, or spiritual. We are created as social beings, and God will not allow our needs in these areas to go unmet. Leaving behind relationships with the people who mean the most to us is perhaps the greatest sacrifice one can make, but God has a cure for the heartache of homesickness.

Beth Moore comments, “Life is curious. Just about the time you get to reap some of the fruit of your parenting labors, the young flourishing tree gets transplanted elsewhere. Just as Zeb[edee] was reaping a harvest of parental rewards, James and John jump ship. No matter how Zebedee felt, I have a pretty good feeling God had great compassion on him. After all, He knew how Zebedee felt when John had to be called away from his father’s side in order to fulfill his destiny.”

It’s important to recognize that Jesus wasn’t asking His followers to do anything He hadn’t already done. An entry in the Jamieson, Faucett, Brown Commentary states, “We have here the blessed promise of the reconstruction of all human relationships and affections on a Christian basis after being sacrificed in their natural form on the altar of love to Christ. Our Lord was Himself the first to exemplify this new adjustment of His own relationships.” As a boy of twelve Jesus gave early indication to his parents that His relationship with His Heavenly Father would take precedence over His relationship with them (Luke 2:49). During the course of Jesus’ ministry we see a cleavage taking place as his family grapples with His identity and activities as the Messiah. At one point they begin questioning his stability, even expressing grave concern about His mental health (Mark 3:21). Later that day when His family members wanted to speak with Him, He seems to completely ignore their request, saying that His new family consists of those who are willing to follow God’s will (Mark 3:31-35).

Every person we may win or disciple becomes a brother or sister, mother or father, or son or daughter in Christ. The potential size of one’s extended spiritual family could number in the hundreds, or, for some like Billy Graham, even in the thousands.

One author writes, “Are you by any chance threatened by Jesus and His desire for you to follow Him with complete abandon? Are you afraid of anything? Are you unwilling to give up the things He
might require? If you are willing to cast away all your fears, hindrances, and unanswered questions and follow Him, I can promise that you’re going to see His glory.”
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FOURTH, WE SEE THAT JESUS PROMISES TO REWARD THE RELOCATED DISCIPLE WITH A 10,000% RETURN ON PRIZED POSSESSIONS LEFT BEHIND. Matthew 19:29

“Anyone who has left houses or farms to follow Me will receive [back] a hundred times as much in this
life.” (NCV, NIV)

We hear a great deal these days about the importance of making wise financial investments. The idea is to build a portfolio that’s loaded with high-yield, long-term ventures that render returns that multiply the initial investment many times over. While blue chip stocks and market-proof bonds are attractive, nothing can best the kickback potential of following Jesus Christ. In this text we see Jesus performing a “cost-benefit analysis” for those who sacrificially follow Him.

At first glance we might read right over this verse without grasping the extent of the disciple’s sacrificial investment as well as the richness of the return. The people who heard these words were living in a culture that was primarily agricultural. The vast bulk of the economy centered on farming. To leave one’s house meant to abandon one’s source of shelter, and to forsake one’s farm amounted to surrendering one’s means of daily sustenance and source of personal wealth. A quote from the Believer’s Bible Commentary sums this up well: “In this life they enjoy a worldwide fellowship of believers that more than compensates for severed earthly ties. For the one house they leave, they receive a hundred Christian homes where they are warmly welcomed. For lands or other forms of wealth forsaken, they receive spiritual riches beyond reckoning.”

Just what did this translate into for these disciples? Well, take Peter who traded-in his fishing net for the keys to the kingdom, the opportunity and privilege of opening the door of Christian faith to both Jew and Gentile (Matt. 16:19 ; Acts 2, 10). Then there’s brothers James and John, who traded the family business for the King’s business (Matt. 4:21-22 ; 2 Cor. 5:20). Matthew left a secure government job as a fiscal representative of Rome to co-reign with the Ruler of the universe (Matt. 9:9 ; 19:28). Paul traded away his Pharisee’s turban for a crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8). Barnabas donated the proceeds of a lucrative real estate deal to needy Christians and in turn received a Heavenly mansion (Acts 4:32-37; John 14:1-2). The apostles traded societal applause for the Savior’s approval (Acts 5:40-41 ; Matt. 5:10-12). Peter, John, Paul and Silas each traded their political freedom for freedom in Christ (Acts 4:3 ; 12:3-5 ; 16:22-24 ; Rev. 1:9). And James traded a perishable earthly body for an imperishable glorified body (Acts 12:1-2 ; 2 Cor. 5:1-4).

From these and many other texts it’s very apparent that those within Christ’s hearing took Him up on His offer, and found the guarantee was good. It’s been said that you can’t out-give God. When all’s said and done, any and every prized possession forsaken for the sake of God’s kingdom will be abundantly rewarded in both time as well as eternity.



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FIFTH, WE SEE THAT JESUS PROVIDES THE RELOCATED DISCIPLE WITH GRACE TO OVERCOME THE TRIALS OF MINISTRY.

“And with those things, he will also suffer for his belief.” (NCV)

Books and seminars on suffering for our faith are in short supply today, and I suppose this has always been the case. Suffering has never been a hot topic, probably because it runs counter to a human nature that welcomes pleasant things and shuns the distasteful. This being so, Jesus never minces words or gives unrealistic expectations of what a person will experience as His follower. Identification with Him always has, and always will bring the unwanted element of persecution (Acts 14:22 ; 2 Tim. 3:12 ; Phil. 1:29). The world’s disdain for Christ is as real today as it was when they rejected Him 2,000 years ago with spitting, whipping, and crucifixion. The fact that such mistreatment will continue is not merely mentioned by Jesus, but unconditionally guaranteed (John 16:33).

There is a type of “ministerial suffering” a person in full-time ministry experiences that others will never go through (Col. 1:24). In their case the “persecution factor” multiplies exponentially as they answer the call of the Great Commission and step out into the front lines of spiritual battle. Conventional military wisdom teaches that the most efficient way to win a war is to take out the opposition’s “command and control system”. In this way the enemy forces are crippled and become disorganized and ineffective. The devil understands this wartime principle all too well. We know from Ephesians six that Satan is an expert strategist. His hellish hordes are highly organized and march rank and file behind his warped and doomed leadership. If he can knock out those who are leading the attack on his kingdom, he’ll have the battle more than half won. So he goes for the Christians who are working full-time to win and disciple people. Make no mistake about it, those in full-time ministry encounter a much higher degree of spiritual opposition than those not so engaged. Persecution takes on a whole other dimension at this level of service. This, I believe, is why Jesus tagged-on the assurance that, along with the blessings of serving Him, there would also follow severe hardships and difficulty.

The Lord made the suffering factor abundantly clear with regard to Paul’s calling into cross-cultural evangelism (Acts 9: 16 ; 20:23). His resume was filled with a ministry history of untold hardship and outright torture (2 Cor. 11:23-33). But he knew the secret of relying on Christ’s strength to pull him through these times of spiritual opposition and personal trial (Phil. 4:11-13 ; 2 Tim. 4:16-18). Jesus gives advance notice that trials will surely come, but that He’s already prepared for them well in advance (Luke 22:31-32). Victory is ours as we follow the pathway the Lord has paved through times of trial. We’re on the winning side, and the battle as well as the victory belongs entirely to Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:18). His ultimate and complete triumph is a source of encouragement for those in the fiery furnace of persecution (John 16:33)




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SIXTH, WE SEE THAT JESUS REWARDS RELOCATED DISCIPLES WITH A RETIREMENT PLAN THAT’S OUT OF THIS WORLD.

“Anyone who sacrifices home, family, friends – whatever – because of Me will get it all back … not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29, Message)

As midlife approaches most people begin giving serious thought to the kind of retirement they’d like to have. While some individuals call it quits at age 65, others choose to keep busy with full-time, part-time, or volunteer employment. Either way, it’s wise to begin putting away resources ahead of time for those golden years just down the road. Retirement plans range from zero pensions to multiple packages including employer benefits and personal savings and investments. The whole idea behind these preparations is to do one’s best to secure the future.

Jesus outlines the incredible compensation plan His followers receive in this life, but goes on to add a mind-boggling postscript . He promises that sacrificial service for Him will be generously compensated for with a retirement plan that covers eternity as well. This isn’t to say that eternal life belongs only to those who have given up much to serve Him, but that they will be crowned with heavenly rewards that are commensurate with their levels of commitment (1 Cor. 3:8-15 ; 9:25 ; 2 Tim. 4:8 ; 1 Pet. 5:4 ; Rev. 2:10).

Christ makes it crystal clear that the most valuable “possession” we have is our soul (Mark 8:36). Nothing this world can offer comes even close to it in value (Mark 8:36). Consequently, the loss of the soul to eternal suffering is unquestionably the greatest loss one can ever suffer, and a loss, that can never be won back or compensated for (Mark 8:37). It’s far advantageous, says Jesus, to lose yourself in ministry and gain an eternal reward, than to hold on to this world and lose your very being to an endless fiery existence. This being so, the wisest investment a disciple of Christ can make is to follow Him, be it in non-vocational service or as a full-time worker.


FINALLY, WE SEE THAT THE WORD OF GOD PROVIDES COMFORT, ENCOURAGEMENT, AND SUPPORT TO THE RELOCATED DISCIPLE.

We’ve taken an in-depth look at what’s involved in turning our losses into gains. God is no man’s debtor, and He sees to it that every sacrifice made for His kingdom is more than amply rewarded. This message would prove incomplete without some practical advice on how to work this out. For this we’ll look to the example of the early Christians who experienced loss on a scale wider and deeper than most of us ever will. Therein lies the secret to watching God turn our losses into gains.


1) First, it’s the better part of wisdom to carefully calculate the cost before you take the loss.
(Luke 14:25-33)


2) Look ahead, not behind. (Phil. 3:13-14)


3) Look above, not below. (Heb. 10:32-34 ; 12:1-3)


4) Fix your hope on future glory. (1 Peter 1:1-9)


5) Ask God for wisdom to deal with the trials attending your relocated
situation. (James 1:1-8)


6) Remember that the loss is only temporary. (Psalms 30:5)


7) Share your burdens with the Lord. (1 Pet. 5:7)


8) Rely on God’s grace to pull you through to brighter days. (1 Pet. 5:10)


9) Bloom where you’re planted. (Acts 8:1-5 ; 11:19-21)