Profit or Loss?

In the world of commerce the goal of each business is to make a profit for the business. A retailer wants to profit from sales to its customers. A wholesaler wants to profit from its sales to its retail customers. A manufacturer wants to profit from its sales to either its wholesale customers and/or its retail customers.

What about the individual worker on a salary or a wage? An individual profits when he or she receives the agreed amount due to them for the labour they have expended in obtaining that money. The employer on the other hand wants a profitable return on the money it pays out on wages and salaries.

For any business to survive it must not only be profitable; it must continue to make profits. If its expenses are continually more than its income then it cannot survive for it is in a loss situation. Its creditors can petition the Court to wind them up and cause them to cease trading. If this happens there is loss all round; the creditors lose money, the employees lose their jobs and often customers don't receive goods owing to them.

Let's look at some passages of Scripture referring to profit.

Proverbs 10:2, "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death."

Proverbs 11:4, "Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."

Jeremiah 7:8, "Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit.

Jeremiah 12:13, "They have sown wheat but reaped thorns; they have put themselves to pain but do not profit..."

Jeremiah 23:32, "Behold, I am against those who prophecy false dreams," says the Lord, "and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all," says the Lord.

The above verses inform us that ill gained treasures profit nothing when death arrives. Those who trust in lying words profit nothing. Remember the Devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). An unrighteous person sows in unrighteousness and then reaps pain and bitterness. Those prophesying lies to the people of God will not profit the people of God.

Mark 8:36, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Material gains mean nothing when death comes. When you die you leave it all behind! What was profit turns to loss!

In the book of Job in chapter 22:2 this question is asked, "Can a man be profitable to God, though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?" The crux of this matter is that a man may be wise in the ways of the world, but is he profitable to God? He is not profitable to God or himself if he "loses his own soul".

Psalm 49:7, 8, "(7) None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him - (8) for the redemption of their souls is costly [precious], and it shall cease forever."

There is a way to be profitable to God!

Psalm 49:15 states, "but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He shall receive me."

How will God redeem me?

The apostle Peter tells us the answer in his 1st Epistle. He is writing to Hebrew Christians who have been scattered through persecution.

1 Peter 1:17-21, "(17) And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

(18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

(19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

(20) He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest [revealed] in these last times for you

(21) who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."

You can turn eternal loss into eternal profit - today! Instead of being a lost soul, you can be a redeemed soul.

 

Jon Peasey

Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]