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Business and Bible Terms: “Gain”

By Craig Ford 1 Comment - The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited February 10, 2014.

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At the end of the day, each of us hopes to have a gain for our endeavors.  “Resources or advantage acquired or increased” is how Webster’s defines gain.   A gain is simply what we have left over after we have expended ourselves.

Businesses will cease to operate if there are not any gains.  Each employee hired by an organization is intended to improve profitability – to bring more gains to the organization.  Businesses speak of quarterly gains and losses.  Gain is often referred to as the bottom line.  At times it seems as though nothing else matters beyond gains.

Quick Navigation

  • Identify What True Gain Is
  • What the Bible says about “gain”
  • Some items to be “gained” and “lost”:
  • How to be sure you are investing in “gains” and ignoring “rubbish”:

Identify What True Gain Is

However, there is story after story of individuals whose financial sheets show gains, yet internally they feel nothing but loss. I believe it is Steven Covey who says that too many people are climbing the ladder of success only to find that it is leaning against the wrong wall.  This reveals an inability to identify true gain.

In his book, First Things First, Steven Covey speaks of the importance of having a life compass.  Don’t be so concerned about your odometer – how fast you are operating.  However, give due attention to your compass – the direction you are traveling.  It is better to head in the right direction at 1 mph than 100 in the wrong direction.

What the Bible says about “gain”

Paul uses business and accounting terminology when he writes:

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8 NIV)

This is a moment when Paul was reviewing the ledger sheet of life.  Originally he had a long list of gains, but eventually decided to call those losses.  What he gained was rubbish.  The only true gain in life is knowing Jesus Christ.

Jesus himself asks the challenging question:

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26 NIV)

Our society will attempt to dictate and define what should be in the gain category and what should be in the loss category, but our goal as Christians is to keep gaining the right things.

Some items to be “gained” and “lost”:

Money        Family        Peace        Legacy Influence        Integrity        Time       Faith      Relationships

The reality is that, at times, a gain in one category means a loss in another.  Consider the relationship between time and money.  Typically the more time you give (loss of time) the more money you get (gain of money).  However, we must all evaluate if the loss of time is worth the gain of money.  As a result, we must broaden our descriptions of loss and gain beyond the simplistic and narrow categories of money.

As I write this post I am sitting in my daughter’s room with her sitting on my lap.  She asked if daddy would work in her bedroom while she played.  What I lost was time, efficiency, and a lot of concentration.  What I gained, however, was perspective and a meaningful encounter with my daughter.

How to be sure you are investing in “gains” and ignoring “rubbish”:

  1. Slow down long enough to evaluate the truly important things in life.  Using the compass illustration, ask if you are moving in the right direction.
  2. Establish your gains from an eternal perspective. This world and all its contents will pass away.  There are some gains, however, that will last forever.
  3. Confidently declare rubbish the vain things the world calls gains.  Do not succumb to the pressure to get confused about your true priorities.
  4. Passionately pursue that which leads to lasting gain.
  5. Frequently reconsider you position in life – am I gaining the world or gaining Christ?

How do you keep yourself pointed towards the true eternal gains of life?

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Last Edited: 10th February 2014 The content of biblemoneymatters.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to biblemoneymatters.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice. In accordance with the latest FTC guidelines, we declare that we have a financial relationship with every company mentioned on this site.

This article is about: Bible Verse

About Craig Ford

Craig Ford is a fulltime missionary in Papua New Guinea who writes Money Help For Christians and Help Me Travel Cheap, a frugal family travel blog. He is the author of Money Wisdom From Proverbs, has a Masters of Divinity degree, and (most importantly) eats homemade pizza with his family every Friday night.

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  1. Spiritwealth says

    At some point, I think you start to realize that gain and loss is the same thing. The only thing that changes is our emotional perception, but the cycle of life continues. There has to be a winter to every summer, a spring to every fall. Some gains, some losses, and life goes on.
    Spiritwealth´s last blog ..The Psychology of Happiness and Riches

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