Here is a devotional that I placed on my website a few years. It still holds true today. I pray that it ministers to you.
And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:3
Greeting in the high, holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is rich in mercy, abundant in grace, and loves us with an everlasting love. Have you ever heard, or maybe said it yourself, “I’m in it for the money.” My husband and I have said this many times to our renters that are slack in paying their rent. It’s usually Bob that takes care of the rental business and he has told our tenants that they must pay their rent because plain and simple, we need the money. They seem to think that we are loaded and don’t need the cash (NOT!!!) and Bob has to explain to them that we are in this business for the money; for the profit we can gain. If it wasn’t for the money who in their right mind would put up with such aggravation? It’s a blessing to have good tenants.
We all go to jobs that we sometimes don’t like and our co-workers can be aggravating, but we do it in order to receive a paycheck. Let’s face it – we all go to our jobs in order to gain a profit, we invest money in the stock market in order to gain a profit, we put time and money into many other investments in order for them to be profitable to us, either immediately or in the future. It is no different in the spiritual realm and the apostle Paul gives us this admonition in
1 Corinthians 13.
It’s strange to think of working for the Lord and pursuing godliness in order to acquire gain and maybe that concept goes against everything you’ve been taught, but as we will discover it is scriptural. We often accumulate material possessions and we work hard for those things – a nice home, a nice car, nice clothes, nice furniture, nice vacations, etc. And how often have you heard the expression, “You can’t take it with you.” Well, the material things you acquire in this life you can’t take with you, but there are some things you and they can’t be transported in a U-Haul trailer. The things that we take with us are in the spirit realm and we don’t necessarily take them with us when we go to heaven; the profit we have gained in the spirit are already in heaven waiting on us when we get there, because we have sent them on up ahead of us. Everything we do now for our triune God is making deposits for us in heaven and those rewards are waiting on us there. It’s our heavenly profit!!!
Let’s take a look at some scriptures to confirm a spiritual profit or gain:
1 Samuel 12:21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain
Proverbs 3:13-14 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than find gold.
1 Corinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
1 Corinthians 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Philippians 1:21 For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that thy which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. (These things are good and profitable unto men.)
Hebrews 12:9-10 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
As you can see there are many scriptures that teach us concerning profitability and gain. As I was researching this I found 67 references for the word ‘profit’ including it’s various forms; and 41 references for the word ‘gain’ and it’s variations. Anytime the Holy Spirit sees fit to repeat something over and over again in the scriptures it’s a ‘heads up’ and we need to pay attention to it.
It’s more than obvious that the Lord expects us to be profitable to someone else and in the doing gain profit for ourselves. We see in Paul’s statement in 1 Cor. 10:33 that we are to seek the ‘building up’ of others and also in his first letter to Timothy that godliness is profitable to ‘us’ in all things. What a foreign idea, that we should pursue our Christian walk in order to gain a profit – but as you can see it is biblical. But lets be clear, the profit is more for the Kingdom of God and Christ than for us! Jesus said:
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:8
Let’s look briefly at another example: What happened to the stewards in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25? The ones that gained a profit were praised and received a reward, and the one that did not was ‘cast into outer darkness.’ The servant that gained nothing was called by Jesus, ‘the unprofitable servant.’ Christ expects us to be a profit and a benefit to His kingdom. Not in heaven, the Lord has no need of our talents there. Our profiting is to be here on earth; and all the while storing up for ourselves treasure in heaven. Also, take a look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:26a:
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Although your work is here on earth, your reward will be in heaven. Oh, please don’t think that you won’t receive a few goodies here on earth, we most certainly will. But it may come in a way that you never expected – all your bills paid on time; health for yourself and your family (what a blessing to never hear the word ‘terminal’ from your doctor); your children serving the Lord with zeal and gladness all their life and marrying others that have the same zeal for the Lord; etc. But, if you expect your blessing to be the BIG house on the hill, and the BIG bank account, and the expensive cars, you may be sadly disappointed. God rewards those who are His obedient servants and the most valuable piece of profit-sharing we can receive from the Lord comes in a package that when opened we find a jewel called “PEACE.” Another package comes on your doorstep and inside is a nugget of gold marked “SATISFACTION & CONTENTMENT.” Well, what d’ya know, the delivery angel has stopped at your house once again with another package. You hasten to open it and find a precious ornament labeled “FULFILLMENT.” I can’t think of any other better earthly rewards than these. I can do without the big house, cars, a large bank account, and expensive clothes in order to have peace, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfillment. These, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ, are all worth whatever it takes for us to be a profit to someone else, to ourselves, and ultimately to our Lord.
In conclusion, I want to leave you with the words of the apostle Paul concerning two of his fellow co-workers in the ministry. And it is my prayer that the following statements may be said of us all:
2 Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
Philemon 1:10-11 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Go with God Kingdom Seekers,
1 Timothy 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
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