Losing For Christ's Sake: Gospel Today Devotional - 1st February, 2024

No one enjoys losing. In fact, losing leaves one with a feeling of defeat, and inadequacy. It engulfs one with the feeling of sadness or pain. There's this thing with football matches for many persons who watch or have watched football games. When you support a team, and by chance or by a very good play, they qualify for the finals, you would be glad, isn't it? Quite true, why? Everyone loves to be on the winning team. No one wants to lose. How would you feel if your supported team got to the final but didn't win the trophy but had to lose it to its opponent?

You would be pained, right? Some would even not eat for days, and the memory of that particular match will keep hunting them for a very long time. This only points out one thing; no one gains by losing. You wouldn't like to lose a game, no one would be happy to lose a loved one, no one would be glad if he came last in a competition. In this world system, losing is not an option because no one would want to lose what they hold dear to them. Hallelujah.

Well, believers are different. The system to which we belong operate very differently from what the world system is accustomed to. This is that which the Lord seeks to explain to you, and I through his word today, and I trust the Lord to speak to your very heart, and mine as well. Praise God. The passage of scripture under consideration is seen below,

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ". (Philippians 3:7).

You see the apostle Paul in this particular text, and in his admonition to the Church in Philippi points out something so striking that anyone who would come to stay in God's kingdom must learn, and practice. How can a man say that he gained by losing? Just read again, and see for yourself. He said that the things that were gain (became rewarding, beneficial, and profitable) to him were those he counted loss (had to give up for Christ). Really? How could this be? The question still remains how can one gain by losing? What was he really trying to say? I trust the Lord to minister to our hearts. Amen.

You see, in this kingdom, we live by dying, we get by giving, and on. To get in this kingdom, that is, the kingdom of God, you have to learn to lose. Jesus in the scripture says he who saves his life shall lose it, and he who loses it for his sake shall save it? (Matthew 16:25). Why? Because you get nothing from him by keeping what you have, and that is the reason even at salvation, you have to let go of your previous life so you can receive of his life. If you must get, you have to give. It is who scatters in the kingdom that gathers, not the one who withholds. In all ways, you lose to gain.

Gaining should not be your first focus in the kingdom of God, it is losing, why so?  Because when you lose, you gain. How did you become a child of God? You had to lose something. It was your wretchedness for his mercy? Do you regret ever being saved? No, why? Because you gained eternal life instead. Do you now understand the statement of Paul in our text? No one loses anything if it's for the sake of Christ, rather his gains are those things which he loses for Christ. This is a kingdom principle that we as believers must learn to abide by. May the Lord help us to lose for Christ's sake. Amen.

Thought for the Day

No one loses anything if such loss is for the sake of Christ but rather he gains so much. The things that will be profitable to you are the things you lose or would lose for Christ.

Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].