When Jeff passed away, I was immediately thrown into life as a single Mom. And that meant paying the bills and balancing the checkbook. Which is something people did on the regular back in the day before online banking and cell phone apps.
I was great at Algebra in high school but was not so great at business math. To this day, I still struggle with counting and keeping track.
I was advised to set aside some money in a savings account that I would not touch and I did this. But the checking account was plain and simple spendable funds. One day as I was balancing the checkbook I miraculously discovered some extra funds and decided to do some extra shopping. Those are my kind of miracles.
You all have been right there and I am sure you know where this is going! Checks began bouncing all over the place! The truth was I had paid my car payment and had forgotten to record it in the checkbook. Those extra funds were not a miracle but a mirage!
Like I said. I’m not really good at counting. I am not good at keeping track, but God is. He knows the number of hairs on our head. That is pretty amazing since we are constantly losing and growing hair! God Himself is counting and keeping track of every hair of your head. He even keeps your tears in a bottle. You are a precious treasure to Him.
In our passage for today (Luke 21:12-19), Jesus lists the gains and losses the disciples will experience in their very near future. Losses would include arrests, persecution, imprisonment, betrayal, and even death. But they would gain an opportunity to speak and testify of Christ. Eternal rewards would follow. The disciples would experience God’s presence and help in the moment it would be most needed. They would in turn know Him, His power, His suffering and more.
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;” Philippians 3:10
In the end, Jesus said that not a hair of their head would perish.
“But there shall not an hair of your head perish.” Luke 21:18
And God does know because He is keeping track!
But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
Dear faithful Christian, today you may feel like you are losing. And most likely you are. Today the tears may be flowing. Some days are like that.
It may feel like losing today. But just wait! The count is not yet in!!
When everything is said and done the faithful Christian will find he has had more gains than losses. So much gain, the loss will seem insignificant. There will come a day when we realize what we have lost is nothing compared to what we have gained in Christ.
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,” Philippians 3:8
You can count on Christ! He is keeping track of your losses. So just wait my friend, the count is not in!
Loser Bible Study Series Theme Verse:
“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” Mark 8:35
“Lose” from the Greek word “Apollymi” means “to destroy fully.” It is translated perish in Luke 21:18, our verse for today.