Weekly Word 11/9/26
Chalk It Up As a Loss
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:7-8 (NKJV)
Gains and losses.
I met a believer in Christ the other day who was struggling to maintain his sobriety. Since at one point in my life I was an alcoholic, I shared with him my experiences that helped me to maintain that sobriety for over 20 years. I prayed over him before we parted. But I remember having to put alcohol in the ‘Loss’ column of my Gains and Losses. God had showed me that I could not entertain the idea of even having one drink. I had to completely give it up: count it a loss.
I remember speaking with another brother whom the Lord had delivered from smoking cigarettes. After he was delivered, he thought he could smoke just one, you know, once in a while and when he went to lite one up, God rebuked him. He told me, it was the closest thing he had ever experienced to hearing an audible voice of God. It shook him. Before that he was not willing to completely put smoking in the loss column, but after that experience he never smoked again.
I have talked to other Christians through the years and other people who struggled with addictions of one kind or another. It was not unusual to hear them try to compromise in some way with keeping just a ‘little’ bit of the indulged sin. I will only do drugs on the weekend. I will only have a drink with dinner. I will only watch R rated movies or soft porn shows (I never saw it; but I heard Game of Thrones comes to mind as a soft porn show). They were struggling to put these things in the ‘Loss’ column.
But I also realized that there were deeper things that God wanted me to put in the loss column.
I was working on a house with some other construction guys and they would play Country Music. I initial thought that it was going to be somewhat benign; but I was wrong. I was surprised how often they would try to conjure up lustful thoughts and provocative ideas by their songs. If I wanted to Gain Christ, this also had to be put into the Loss column.
Your Loss column on the exterior might be similar to many others; but it is in the deeper thoughts and intents of the heart that it gets intensely personal. Your losses might include a promotion or career opportunity because you are unwilling to lie for your boss (lots of pressure there). When my wife and I decided many years ago to run our business (it is closed now) honestly and would not hire illegal persons or pay people ‘off the books’; we lost out on contracts because our prices were higher and sometimes honest workers were harder to find. We did not see a benefit financially for many years from that business, but God always provided. We considered the Gain column to be more important than our Losses.
Not everything you put in your Loss column will result in an automatic plus in your Gain column. There can be a delay to seeing the Gains. Financial sacrifices do not always produce financial gains later and some rewards will only be on the day of reckoning. And some Gains may at first appear as Losses. Giving up social media addiction may result in boredom. Giving up a relationship that you know God does not approve of can result initially in loneliness. Holding to your integrity can result in a job loss and financial difficulty. Standing for Christ may isolate you at work.
Sometimes there is a tendency to look for a substitute to what is placed in the Loss column and look for something similar in the Gain column. Addictions can be substituted with a healthier addiction like the gym or sports or work. Replacing another activity for the boredom; another relationship to replace the one that is lost. But if we look at what Paul puts on the Gain column it is not a substitute, but of a totally different substance. His Gain column was not of things but of a person. He saw something of value in knowing Christ that made all his losses seem like junk in comparison. And Paul is not the only one to weigh things out like this and come to the same conclusion.
I met a believer in Christ the other day who was struggling to maintain his sobriety. Since at one point in my life I was an alcoholic, I shared with him my experiences that helped me to maintain that sobriety for over 20 years. I prayed over him before we parted. But I remember having to put alcohol in the ‘Loss’ column of my Gains and Losses. God had showed me that I could not entertain the idea of even having one drink. I had to completely give it up: count it a loss.
I remember speaking with another brother whom the Lord had delivered from smoking cigarettes. After he was delivered, he thought he could smoke just one, you know, once in a while and when he went to lite one up, God rebuked him. He told me, it was the closest thing he had ever experienced to hearing an audible voice of God. It shook him. Before that he was not willing to completely put smoking in the loss column, but after that experience he never smoked again.
I have talked to other Christians through the years and other people who struggled with addictions of one kind or another. It was not unusual to hear them try to compromise in some way with keeping just a ‘little’ bit of the indulged sin. I will only do drugs on the weekend. I will only have a drink with dinner. I will only watch R rated movies or soft porn shows (I never saw it; but I heard Game of Thrones comes to mind as a soft porn show). They were struggling to put these things in the ‘Loss’ column.
But I also realized that there were deeper things that God wanted me to put in the loss column.
I was working on a house with some other construction guys and they would play Country Music. I initial thought that it was going to be somewhat benign; but I was wrong. I was surprised how often they would try to conjure up lustful thoughts and provocative ideas by their songs. If I wanted to Gain Christ, this also had to be put into the Loss column.
Your Loss column on the exterior might be similar to many others; but it is in the deeper thoughts and intents of the heart that it gets intensely personal. Your losses might include a promotion or career opportunity because you are unwilling to lie for your boss (lots of pressure there). When my wife and I decided many years ago to run our business (it is closed now) honestly and would not hire illegal persons or pay people ‘off the books’; we lost out on contracts because our prices were higher and sometimes honest workers were harder to find. We did not see a benefit financially for many years from that business, but God always provided. We considered the Gain column to be more important than our Losses.
Not everything you put in your Loss column will result in an automatic plus in your Gain column. There can be a delay to seeing the Gains. Financial sacrifices do not always produce financial gains later and some rewards will only be on the day of reckoning. And some Gains may at first appear as Losses. Giving up social media addiction may result in boredom. Giving up a relationship that you know God does not approve of can result initially in loneliness. Holding to your integrity can result in a job loss and financial difficulty. Standing for Christ may isolate you at work.
Sometimes there is a tendency to look for a substitute to what is placed in the Loss column and look for something similar in the Gain column. Addictions can be substituted with a healthier addiction like the gym or sports or work. Replacing another activity for the boredom; another relationship to replace the one that is lost. But if we look at what Paul puts on the Gain column it is not a substitute, but of a totally different substance. His Gain column was not of things but of a person. He saw something of value in knowing Christ that made all his losses seem like junk in comparison. And Paul is not the only one to weigh things out like this and come to the same conclusion.
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. Hebrews 11:24-26 (NKJV).
They both saw something in Christ that they were willing to move everything into the Loss column that they might Gain Him. For us this is the key. God desires to give us greater riches; heavenly, transcendent, soul satisfying riches, that passing earthly fame, fortune and pleasure pale in comparison to. And this may mean that when you move something to the Loss column for the sake of Christ you too might find yourself in the wilderness experience that prepares you for deeper and wonderous revelations of Christ that speak to the deep parts of your soul. In the boredom you find new vistas of thought. In the loneliness you find a new and dearer Friend. In the emptiness you find the God who Fills heaven and earth. In the financial loss you find the LORD is your Shepherd. In freedom from addiction, you find a new life.
Do not be discouraged if you move something into the Loss column for Christ and do not see instant rewards in the Gains column. God always gives better gifts, just sometimes we have to wait for them. But it is in the waiting that renews our strength, gives us wings, endurance to run the race and the ability to walk with God without fainting (Isaiah 40:31).
Have a blessed week putting Christ on the Gain side of your ledger.
Living His Life,
Bruce
Do not be discouraged if you move something into the Loss column for Christ and do not see instant rewards in the Gains column. God always gives better gifts, just sometimes we have to wait for them. But it is in the waiting that renews our strength, gives us wings, endurance to run the race and the ability to walk with God without fainting (Isaiah 40:31).
Have a blessed week putting Christ on the Gain side of your ledger.
Living His Life,
Bruce
Posted in Weekly Word
Recent
Archive
2026
July
September
Refuge Weekly Update 9/2/26Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 1Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 2Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 3Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 4Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 5Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 6Refuge Weekly Update 9/9/26Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 7Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 8Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 9Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 10Refuge Weekly Update 9/16/26Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 11Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 12Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 13Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 14Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 15Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 16Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 17Refuge Weekly Update 9/23/26Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 18Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 19Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 20Rooted: Prayer Guide - Day 21
October
2025
July
August
October